Darkness
by brit02
Summary: Bella has been turned into a vampire by Victoria, but does she feel the same way about Edward? Various POVs. Rated M just in case. BellaxOC, BellaxEdward, as well as some JacobxOC. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
1. New Sight

**Disclaimer: all characters belong to Stephanie. **

**By the way, I stole some lines from her book in order to make a tad more like her work. Hope its ok! Btw its in italic :p**

**Enjoy!**

_I smiled as I raised my arms straight out, as if I were going to dive, lifting my face into the rain. But it was too ingrained from years of swimming at the public pool- feet first, first time. I leaned forward, crouching to get more spring…_

…And something hard hit me from the side, throwing me into a tree. I gasped as pain lanced up my side. I knew from the crack I heard as I hit the tree that I had broken ribs, hence the reason why I couldn't breathe. Before I could recover, a cold, hard hand picked me up and threw me against another tree. As I flew, I saw bright red hair. Victoria had finally gotten to me.

Jacob was unable to protect me.

I could hear Edward's voice, urging me to get up, but it hurt too much. I couldn't breathe. Black spots were dancing in my vision. Victoria picked me up again, as if I were a rag doll, and pulled me to her eye level. Her coal black eyes wavered between hate and hunger, and I didn't know which one would win. She threw me onto the ground, and I heard another snap, and a scream. _Who was screaming like that?_ I wondered idly, as the black threatened to overtake my whole vision. It was me.

As Victoria sank her fangs into the exact place where James had, the venom started to burn through my blood stream. I screamed even louder, hoping someone would hear me, but it was no use. I could feel myself starting to slip away, while I heard Edward sobbing.

_Goodbye, I love you, was my last thought. _

That was, until I saw the large russet wolf tackle Victoria off of me. I heard the sound of metal screeching, and heard Victoria's enraged screams, and I heard more wolves join the fray, but I could not move. The pain was unbearable. It felt as if Victoria had replaced my blood with hot molten lava, and I was powerless to stop it.

After that, my memories are few and far between.

:::::::::::::

Jacob carrying me, while Sam ran beside him, arguing with him. "You cannot do this! She is now the enemy! Do you not understand that?" he cried. Jacob just kept running.\

:::::::::::::

Jacob, cradling my face as he cried over me. We were in a dark place, a cave maybe.

:::::::::::::

Jacob, finally leaving my side to greet two new people. People I knew so well. Alice stood over me, her usually gold eyes, black, like Victoria's. I shied away from her, only to be met on the other side by Carlisle. He nodded to Jacob, and picked me up.

:::::::::::::

I finally woke up, with a burning sensation at the back of my throat. Everything was crystal clear; how could I have thought having 20-20 vision enabled me to see everything? I wondered. I was briefly distracted by a butterfly flying across my line of vision. I marveled at the colours on each wing, and the colours within the colours. I was almost able to slow down time to observe the butterfly's wings.

I heard footsteps approaching, and before the thought was even formulated, I was off of the bed and onto the ground in a fighting stance. I sensed it was another vampire, and bared my teeth in challenge as he walked into the room.

He walked in slowly, even for a human. But I knew who it was.

He finally reached me, and placed his hands on my newly sculpted shoulders, his gold eyes full of love.

Edward.

I looked at his face, which I thought was so mesmerizing when I was a human. Now…I felt nothing. I felt none of the love I felt for Edward when I was a human.

He was just another vampire to me.

**So whatcha think?**

**The only way I would know and keep writing is if u review!!!**


	2. Leaving

**All characters belong to Steph…they're not mine =(**

My thirst sated, I sat in the Cullen's dining room. As soon as they found out that I had been turned, they had all moved back to Forks. Everything was as it should be.

Except my love for Edward still hasn't returned.

I guess I wasn't expecting it to, but I had hoped that after he took me hunting and I spent more time with him that the feelings would come back. Except they didn't. I looked at him, and loved him, but as a friend, and just a friend only. I also still loved his family as my own.

We were meeting in the dining room about my…situation. My thirst seemed to be controllable, which was very unusual for a new born, and my mind was still blocked from Edward.

Edward…he was holding my hand, rubbing circles on it. I still haven't told him, nor did I want to. Even though I didn't love him anymore, I couldn't bear having to break his heart, like how he broke mine. He would commit suicide, and a world without Edward seemed like an empty world to me. I couldn't do that to him, nor his family. My attention was diverted when Carlisle started to speak.

"We are here because of Bella." he said, as he nodded in my direction. "She was changed forcefully by Victoria, who was killed by the wolves." At this, he turned to the only two non-vampires at the table. Jacob and Sam. I growled softly when I saw them. They stank, and an instinct told me that they were enemies. But my mind and heart was screaming back at it No! Jake's my friend! I would never hurt him, nor he me!

The two wolves were here only because I had developed some weird self -control ability, as well as my ability to hide my thoughts from Edward.

"She has displayed immense self-restraint for a new born, and Edward is still unable to hear her thoughts." He looked in our direction for confirmation. We both nodded before he continued. "However, there is the problem of faking her death. Charlie nor Renee can see her like this, and even though she is showing self-control, I do not know how well she can do when she comes across full-blooded humans."

"Yeah, cause you guys stink." I said as I wrinkled my nose.

Jake and Sam laughed nervously, while the other vampires laughed their bell-like laughs. Edward buried his face into my shoulder, and breathed in my new vampiric scent as he laughed. He felt me tense, and looked into my eyes and smiled gently. While his were an amber color, mine were still blood red, even though I had fed on three does this morning.

"I have an idea." Jake said softly, so that only those with extra-sensory hearing were able to hear him. Everyone looked at him expectantly, except Roasalie, who refused to acknowledge his existence. She disagreed with the whole vampire-werewolf alliance. "Take her up to Canada, to the Denali clan. That way we can say that she died when she jumped off that cliff." Edward tensed next to me. He still didn't understand why I would want to do such a thing, and honestly, my human memories were quite fuzzy, but I remembered it had something to do with his voice. Jake continued, "Edward could follow her"- everyone noticed how hard it was for him to say those words-"and all of you could go back to wherever you ere, since the whole of Forks believe you are still away."

Carlisle nodded his head, and as I glanced at everyone, I noticed they all agreed with the plan too. I liked it, but one adjustment had to be made. Alice's head snapped up when she realized what I was about to do, but instead of anger and hatred, she looked at me with understanding.

"I agree," I said to everyone. Edward squeezed my waist, and I turned to look at him with sadness in my eyes. "but, I can't take you with me Edward. To be totally honest, I don't feel the same about you as I did." I saw his face fall, and everyone's gasps of astonishment, except from Alice. She knew this was coming. What else did she know? "I still feel a fondness for you, and we can still be friends"-I winced, that is the worst and most repeated breakup line-"but I need to get away. From you, and the rest of the family."

My announcement was greeted by total silence, and Edward walked out of the room. My eyes followed him, and I hated that I did this to him, but I had to be honest. A feeling of calm came over me, and I looked at Jasper thankfully. Carlisle stood, and hugged me, followed soon by Esme and the rest of the family. Each whispered encouragement for my upcoming journey, and wished me luck. Surprisingly, no-one hated me for hurting their brother like this.

I turned to Jake, my best friend. Even though my instinct told me to rip him apart, he was still my friend. Sam had left after hearing of Jake's idea, and went to tell the rest of the pack.

"Jake I-" before I could finish, he startled me by saying "Bella, I know your like, the enemy, right now, but I still want to be there for you. I can escort you to Canada and help you settle in there, but then I am leaving." I nodded, and hugged him. He seemed astonished, but still wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"Anytime Bells."

We left the house as an anguished scream rent the air. Without looking back, we both knew who it was. A few seconds after, we saw Edward run through the trees away from the house at lightening speed.

Edward was gone from my life again, but this time, I felt lighter instead of suicidal.


	3. Chris

**Same disclaimer as always…**

**However, I changed some details…hope u like it!**

Jake and I walked out of the Cullen's mansion, and was instantly bombarded by Alice. Jasper stood behind her, and shrugged apologetically.

"Bella!" her singsong voice rang out. "Come to the garage! Quick!" I followed her, almost reluctantly at vampire speed. Within seconds we reached the garage, and I saw a new ice blue Ferrari waiting for me.

"What is it?" I asked dumbly. Jake walked in, and stared at the car open mouthed.

"It's a car silly." Alice giggled. Derr, I'm not that dumb.

"I mean, what model?"

"It's a 2009 Ferrari California." Said Jake in awe. He circled the car, studying every inch.

"I packed a suitcase of clothes for you." She sighed regretfully. "I only had three days to shop for you, though, so I couldn't get much." Knowing Alice, I had a feeling all the clothes would last me two years. I just wondered how she fit it into the car. Turning to Jacob, she sniffed "I packed a couple shorts for you in the trunk as well."

I ran to hug her and squeezed her with all my newborn strength, and let out a satisfied laugh when Alice grunted. "Thank you." I whispered, so only she can hear me. "For everything."

"Anytime Bella. Just hurry back!" she whispered back, hugging me fiercely. I did one last wave to Jasper, and Jake and I jumped into the convertible.

"Umm Alice? Where are the keys?"

"Oh yeah! Here!" she chuckled, and threw me the keys. With my vampire abilities, I caught it mid-air. I felt Jake tense next to me, and I turned to him with a bemused smile on my face.

"What? Thought I would drop it?" I asked, with mock sternness in my voice.

"Yeah, guess I did." He said sheepishly, relaxing next to me. I stuck the key in the ignition and zoomed out of the driveway.

:::::::::::::

I drove through the whole night, and through some of the day, until I reached the Denali coven.

Jake and I jumped out of the Ferrari to greet Tanya, the coven's leader. Tanya used to have a thing for Edward, and it was kind of hard to fight down the rising jealousy. I then greeted Eleazar, and his mate Carmen, and then exchanged common pleasantries with Irina and Kate. Though I never met any of them personally, I felt I already knew them from stories told to me by Edward. Alice called ahead to explain my situation to them, and I can see that they were studying me out of the corner of their eyes.

I wasn't the only object of their scrutiny. All five vampires openly observed Jake. I was fine with it, as I got to look at all of them in return. They all sported the same golden-amber eyes that told the whole vampire community about their 'vegetarian' choice. Tanya was tall and willowy, with blonde hair. She rivaled Rosalie for her looks. Both Eleazar and Carmen were smaller than everyone, and had dark brown hair. In fact, they almost looked related. Irina and Kate were both redheads, and as rumor has it, they are blood sisters. That is, they were sisters before they got changed. However, Jacob towered over us all.

"So Bella, we have all decided to enroll you into the high school here." Tanya stated. Before I started to protest, she continued, "Edward insisted." That shut me up. "You will be our cousin from Washington, whose parents are going on a lengthy trip in Europe. You, however," she said, turning to Jacob, "I honestly do not know what to do with you."

Jake smiled wolfishly-get it? Wolfishly? And he's a…never mind. "I will be Bella's foster brother." He and I laughed, as even though he was in love with me, I only ever loved him as my brother. I think after turning into a vampire, however, that his feelings for me are mutual.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I spun around and grabbed the newcomer by his throat before he reached me.

"Whoa Bella! Put him down!" uttered Tanya, stepping next to me. "This is our new brother, Chris." I put him down slowly, and stared into his amber eyes. They were so similar to Edwards...Tearing my eyes away from his, I studied him quickly. He had short-cropped black hair, and wore torn jeans and a shirt. Even though I had basically attacked him, he stood in front of me with a goofy smile on his face. Tanya, seeing that I was no longer a danger, went back to scrutinizing Jake. Leaving Chris and I alone.

There was only one problem with that.

I found myself very attracted to this newcomer.

**R&R plz!**


	4. Frozen In Time

**Same disclaimer as always…**

**Enjoyyy!!! **

I dragged Jacob away from the admiring vampires and into the forests behind their gorgeous Canadian home. I think Jake was enjoying the attention from the vampires a little too much.

"I have a problem!" I whispered to him, not sure if I was out of the vampire's hearing range or not. "I think…I think I fell in love with Chris."

"Well you bounce back fast." Said Jacob, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Shuddap!" I hissed, immensely pissed at myself, and at the whole situation. "Help me, instead of standing there smirking!"

"Honestly Bells, from what I hear about vampires falling in love, it's like us wolves imprinting. I betcha he feels the same odd appeal to you too. However this does not explain Edward…" he trailed as he walked away from me. I was about to go and haul Jacob back to me and demand a solution to this problem when I heard a familiar voice behind me. Though, I thought as I turned toward him, considering I just met him, like five minutes ago, he shouldn't be so damn familiar.

"Hey." Chris said as he looked at me quizzically, obviously also confused by the pull he felt for me. Or maybe it was because I looked pissed. Rearranging my face into a smile, I greeted him, a tad shy. "Hi." He nodded his head to the forest, and asked, "Wanna go for a walk?" his amber eyes were filled with such a boyish hope, I couldn't resist agreeing. What is it about vampires and forests? I seemed to have said the last thought out loud, and Chris laughed at me. If I could blush, I would be very red right about now.

"C'mon." he said, and taking my hand he led me through the forests at vampire speed. When he finally reached his destination, he stopped and lay next to a giant oak. He patted the patch of dirt next to him, indicating that I sit next to him. I obliged, and we sat in companionable silence.

"So…how did you end up like this?" I asked, meaning as a vampire. He just sighed.

"Chris?"

"I almost died." He whispered so softly, even my enhanced hearing did not pick it up. Before I could ask how, or divert to more agreeable topics, he continued. "I was in a car crash. Tanya saw it, and was unable to save my mom or dad. The other driver was drunk, and died instantly. I was holding on by threads. To save my life, she turned me. I don't need to tell you how painful it was." I nodded in agreement. "Anyways, I woke up and all I wanted to do was die. My whole family was gone- why was I still alive? I was not very happy, or grateful. I hated Tanya for changing me, as it meant I could not even see my old friends without wanting to kill them. You have to understand- I was very popular. I was on the rugby team, and universities were fighting to get me. I even had a beautiful girlfriend, who quickly moved onto my best friend after I 'died'. That was five years ago."

I was filled with sympathy for Chris, a boy I knew for less than two hours. But yet, I felt I had a special connection with him, a bond that connected us for all eternity. As a human, all I wanted was Edward. As a vampire, these feelings have now been transmitted to Chris. It was odd though- the only similarity he shared with Edward was his kind eyes that seemed to stare into my soul.

"I also seemed to have gotten this strange talent." At this, I raised my eyebrows.

"I am an expert on strange talents. My ex-boyfriend is a mind reader, my best friend could see the future, and her boyfriend/husband/soul mate could sense and change peoples feelings." Chris laughed at my revelation.

"I know, Bella. I also know you are a shield and have incredible self-control. My…talent…is that I can freeze time."

Now this really shocked me. I have never heard of a talent where the vampire can stop time. It seemed too big of a concept to grasp.

My shock must have shown on my face, because Chris chuckled and said, "I have to be touching you for it to work on anyone else though." He leaned his head closer to mine. "Wanna try?" he asked, almost seductively, his breath tickling my cheek. He gently pressed his lips against mine, and at that moment I realized that the wind had stopped blowing, and everything was totally silent. However, as he deepened the kiss, his tongue playing along my lips, I couldn't care about any of that. I wanted to do this for-freaking-ever.

**Review plz!**


	5. Fools

**Same disclaimer as always…**

**Enjoyyy!!! **

Chris and I returned hand in hand and smiling like fools. The whole coven and Jake were in the living room, talking about all that has happened since they saw the Cullens.

"…Embry and I basically ripped her apart, while Quil went to build the fire." Jake cringed when he heard us enter. He looked at me, a guilty look on his face. He never did tell me what they did to Victoria after she had attacked me. I shot him a look that said I would speak to you later, and smiled shyly at my new family. They looked at each other, and laughed. They rushed to embrace and congratulate us. Seconds later, the phone rang, and I rushed to get the phone.

"Bella!" screamed Alice excitedly. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Congrats! The whole family sends their congrats too, by the way! Well, except Edward, understandably, but all he wants is for you to be happy. I have to start planning your wedding!"

"Wait Alice, what wedding?" I interrupted. I was smiling like an idiot, staring at Chris until she said that.

"Oh oops, I guess I jumped too far into the future." She did not sound too sorry though. Probably too wrapped up thinking who to invite to the wedding that Chris still hasn't proposed for.

"Nah, you think?" I asked sarcastically. I heard furniture breaking behind Alice, and literally heard her wince through the phone.

"Sorry Bella, got to go, Edward just destroyed the piano. Talk to you later!" she hung up before I could say anything. Not like I could. Edward loved that piano, almost as much as he loved…me. Suddenly I felt very guilty. Before I could retreat into the room the Denali coven prepared for me, Chris was by my side, hugging me. Jake looked at us, and turned away quickly. He probably thought he was intruding on our privacy or whatever.

"Shh, Bella, shh. It's ok, I'm here." He whispered. He heard my conversation. Of course. Damn vampire hearing! I silently cursed. He led me up to my room, and sat on the bed next to me, his arm never leaving my shoulders. I lay my head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his presence.

"I feel horrible." I murmured into his shoulder. "I was supposed to love him back, you know? But I don't. And he still loves me. Oh God, I feel awful."

"Well, I for one am glad you aren't in love with him." He said. I smiled up at him. As much as I felt responsible for Edward's condition, I could not regret falling for Chris.

"Me too." I said. He lowered his lips to mine, but before they met, Jake barged in.

"Oh..." he said, coloring. "Sorry." He mumbled, closing the door. Chris and I just laughed, and I gestured for him to come back in. He sat next to me awkwardly, and I leaned against him. Chris sensed we needed privacy, so he kissed my forehead and left.

"So are you gonna tell me how I died or what?" I asked, in a light tone. My eyes betrayed my real feelings. Jake hugged me, and leaned away from me, giving me space.

"Jesus Bella, you're cold." He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He got a faraway look in his eyes as he told me the story. "As you know, Sam had the whole pack hunting for that bloodsucker." At this, he looked at me apologetically but I just urged him to continue. "Anyways, I found her scent not too far from the cliffs where you were planning to jump off"- he sent me a stern look-"and I followed it, telling the rest of the pack. As I ran toward her, I caught another scent. Blood." He whispered the last word. "I recognized your scent. God Bella, I ran faster than I ever had to reach you. I was too late." He turned his tormented eyes to mine. I rushed over to where he was sitting, and hugged him, trying to cheer him up.

He cried into my shoulder, as I tried to calm him. "Jake, it all turned out ok." I said quickly, babbling. "Look I'm ok, you're alright, you destroyed Victoria, it's ok, it's ok." I rocked him back and forth, like a baby, which was quite hard as he was taller than me by quite a bit. He finally composed himself, and lifted his tear-streaked face to mine, and smiled weakly.

"After we burnt her body, I carried you to a cave nearby. Sam was not to happy about it, and banished me from the pack because I helped you." I stiffened in anger. That boy had a serious stick up his… "I sat by you for a full day before Alice and Carlisle took you to the mansion. The rest is history."

"Umm…Jake, if Sam banished you from the pack…?"

"Oh, I was always meant to be an Alpha. Turns out after he banned me, I became my own Alpha. Quil and Embry found out that they could switch, and they felt Sam treated me unfairly. So I have a pack of my own." He said proudly. I had to smile, he looked so happy.

"So what's the deal with Sam? I saw both of you at the meeting when we decided to come here."

"Turns out Alphas can talk to each other still." Jake shrugged. "Sam felt really bad for banning me so quickly, but since I had my own pack, I could not merge with his pack anymore. Oh, Quil and Embry are joining us here by the end of the week. I told Tanya already." He yawned. I had to admit, it has been a long day, and Jake looked wiped. Plus we had school the next day. Vampires did not sleep, but werewolves still had to.

"C'mon Jake, let's get you to bed." I said. He nodded, and staggered out of the door. Before he opened the door, I whispered, "Love you Jake." Because of his extra-sensory hearing, Jake heard me.

"Love ya too Bells." With that, he left my room to go to his hut in the backyard. It was more like a guesthouse, if you ask me. It even came with a kitchen! I sighed, thinking of the long night ahead of me. I turned to my two bulging suitcases-someone brought them up while Chris and I were in the woods- and started to unpack. It was going to be a long night.

I heard a soft tap on my door as I opened my first suitcase.

"May I come in?" asked Chris, a wicked smile on his angelic face.

Suddenly this night didn't seem long enough.

**Didya like it?? Reviews r appreciateddd!!!!**

**=]**


	6. School

**Same disclaimer as alwayzz…**

I jumped out of my car, a feeling of trepidation washing over me. I looked over at Jacob, who gave me a weak smile, and walked over to where the others were standing.

It was a Monday and it was the first day back for all of us to school. Well, technically, it was Jake's and mine first day here, period. Chris, Kate and Irina were just returning. Chris, Irina and I were all seniors, while Jake and Kate were juniors. Tanya was Irina and Kate's older sister (because she looked about 23-ish), and Chris was their cousin. They all lived with their uncle (Eleazar) and his wife Carmen, and my mother was Carmen's sister. Jake was my foster-brother (although he kept his last name of Black), and I was Bella Hale. We were living with Aunt Carmen because our parents went to Europe for business. I tried to memorize the story as I walked over to Chris' side.

We had decided that Jake and I come in my car, while Chris, Irina and Kate traveled in his Brabus Jeep Compass, or whatever it was. It was big though. Even though it is spring, it is still quite chilly in Canada, so we all had to dress appropriately. No one felt the cold, but we were pretending to be normal, so we all wore jeans and sweaters. Alice could cheerfully kill me right now if she saw what I was wearing. I giggled at the thought, and Chris looked at me with a confused smile on his face. I shook my head, and held his hand as we walked into the office, Jake trailing behind us, looking sullen. He hated school.

We got our schedules, and I was in all of Chris' classes. Jake was only in two of Kate's, but it suited him fine. He still hated the smell of us vampires. I couldn't complain- he still smelt of wet dog to me. We walked out of the office into the hallway of people. The sheer press of human bodies nearly drove me wild with thirst, and I don't think I could have made it through without Chris at my side.

I only noticed a few minutes later that Jake was not behind me puzzled, I turned around.

"Jake?" I asked, as I saw him frozen, his mouth open a little. I giggled, and shut his mouth for him. "Hey Jake, what's up?" I looked to where he was staring at, and saw a petite girl, who was around seventeen years old. She wore jeans and a green vest under a long white sleeved t-shirt, and was now shrugging out of a navy blue jacket. Her hair was long and in a messy ponytail, and was brown with natural honey-colored highlights. What killed me though was the color of her eyes. They were the exact shade mine were when I was a human.

She sensed we were looking at her, and turned to us. She couldn't stop staring at Jake either, so with a playful growl, I pushed him to her. They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity when it finally dawned on me-Jake had just imprinted.

Aw hell.

"Hey." She said shyly, gazing at Jacob through her long eyelashes. "I'm Ness, or Nessie, short for Vanessa." She rolled her eyes at her name. "You're new here right?" she finally looked at me when she asked this. Jacob was still unable to talk, so I answered.

"Yeah, we are staying with our aunt. By the way, I'm Bella, and this is my foster brother, Jacob."

"Hey Jacob." She said, ignoring me. I wasn't offended though. Hell, I was deliriously happy for Jake. I skipped back over to Chris' side, and he put his arm around my waist, giving me a half-hug.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Jacob sat with Ness at her table at lunch. Turns out he's in most of her classes. Who would've thought?

I had a bit of trouble controlling my thirst. Even though I do have incredible self-control, I am still a newborn, and all I wanted was blood. Thank God for Chris. He never left my side, even when I had to change my contacts every-freaking-hour, because my venom would burn through the contacts. Couldn't scare the humans with my red eyes, now can I?

When school finally ended, Jake jumped into my car, a dazed look on his face. I winked at him, and asked, "So how's your imprint?" He stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, and I thought he was just ignoring me.

"Well…erm...I wanna talk to you about her. Later." He said when he saw my impatient face. Rolling my eyes, I just replied "Fine."

:::::::::::::

I stayed in my room, finishing my homework. I had to read a whole new literature book, and a couple of chapters for history, which I finished in like, five minutes. Thank God for my vampire speed. I was tuck on my math homework-becoming a vamp hasn't changed my math retardation- when Jake knocked on my door.

"Hey Bella." I nodded, indicating he sit next to me. The rest of the vampires were out hunting, but I wanted to finish my homework before I went. Even though had finished high school many times before, I still even haven't finished my first time.

"Heya Jake. Watcha wanna talk about?" I asked, pushing my math to the side. He looked slightly anxious.

"Well, as you know, I imprinted on Vanessa."

"And…?"

"And she's wonderful, and gorgeous and…" he trailed on and on about her traits, and I really did try to pay attention, but I was hearing a car driving up the driveway. "But…"

"But what?" I asked, a little distracted.

"But she has a boyfriend." He looked crestfallen.

"Oh. That. Hmm. That may be a problem." I said, my attention still focused on the person standing outside the front door. I knew it was a human; I could hear their heartbeat. Jake noticed my inattention, and listened for what distracted me. When he finally heard it, a great smile grew on his face.

"She came!" he cried, and bolted for the door. I sprinted ahead of him, and stood in front of the door.

"Who's here?" I hissed, preventing him from opening the door. I knew who it was, because I recognized their scent through the door, but I wanted him to tell me.

"It's Vanessa. I told her o come, because I wanted to talk to her…" he kept trying to get around me, and failed. "…but I didn't think she would come. But she did." He ended happily. "Dammit Bella! Let me through!" Instead, I spun around and opened the door, putting a smile on my face.

"Hello Vanessa." I greeted, smirking at her surprised expression. "Come right on in. Jake is waiting for you." Hearing his name, Vanessa forgot about her discomfort around me, and almost shoved past me to reach him.

I turned around, and the look on Jacob's face was priceless. He looked so happy, so carefree. He looked as if the whole world revolved around her. Well, maybe his world did.


	7. Truth

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

I went upstairs to give Ness and Jake some privacy. Although Jake and I know that there is no such thing as privacy in a house with a vampire in it. Or a werewolf for that matter.

"So Jake you wanted to talk to me?" I heard Nessie say, as they sat on the overstuffed couch downstairs.

Jake paused, trying to get his thoughts in order. "Ness…" he started, "do you feel a pull towards me? One that you cannot ignore?" I suspected she nodded, because he went on. "Well it's because I imprinted one you. You see…I'm not exactly human."

I heard her sharp intake of breath.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

"I'm a werewolf. I change my form into one of a wolf at anytime. We…wolves…imprint on a human. That means that we are bonded with that person. For life." He paused, possibly to judge her reaction.

"So it means that you like me?" Ness asked, her voice full of hope and trepidation.

"No. It is something more than just a like. This is not a crush or casual fling. I will always, and forever, be attracted to you and you alone. No other girl would hold the same amount of appeal that you do. Without even knowing you, I know that I love you, and will only ever love you."

I could practically hear Nessie swooning. I have to admit, Jake has a way with words. Then he had to spoil it all.

"I know that I would be a helluva lot more faithful than that duchebag you have as a boyfriend."

I heard a huff, and heard the front door slam. Before she had reached her car, I was downstairs.

"Jake! Why the hell would you tell her that? What is wrong with you?" I screamed. "You had her like putty in your hands!" Before I could continue, I heard Ness' car come back up the driveway. Jake's look went from ashamed to hopeful in two seconds flat. Ness stormed into the house, and went straight to Jake. She was furious. She slapped him across his face, and I heard a bone crack. Ouch. She cradled her hand, and looked at Jake, her eyes accusing. He looked mortified. Before he could do anything, I grabbed her uninjured hand, and took her to the bathroom. I started to examine her hand, and with a sure movement, put her bone back in place. Thanks to my own past clumsiness, I had a lot of experience with broken bones, and knew how to reset them.

Sticking her thumb to me, she asked Jake, who had followed us meekly, "So what is she? Another wolf?" she demanded. I admired the chick. Her hand was just broken, and she was still able to make demands. I wanted Jake to fix this, and I refused to intervene.

He looked at me for help, and found none. Sighing, he explained, "She's a vampire, my enemy, but my best friend."

Ness pulled away from me, and I could smell her fear. I found no trace of it on her face, though. The girl's got guts. I sat quietly while Jake explained everything to her- the whole vampire and werewolf thing, our choice to be 'vegetarian', the Quileute legends, the pact between the Cullen's and his ancestors, everything. She did not interject much, and mainly sat in silence, taking everything in.

"So…you are a werewolf." She said, pointing to Jake. "And you're a vampire." She said, pointing to me. I nodded. "And y'all are supposed to be enemies, but because of some pact thing, and because you were best friends, you don't feel that way." We both nodded. "Well crap. What have I gotten myself into this time?" she asked, cracking a half smile. Jake and I laughed, glad she was able to accept us so easily. She had no idea what kind of life she was going to lead with us in her life.


	8. Explosion

**Same disclaimer as always…**

Life after that went to normal. Well, our version of normal. Ness and Jake got closer, and she came over everyday to help Jake with his homework. They became great friends, but nothing more. Ness refused to break up with her boyfriend even though he continually cheated on her. She said that 'they have been through a lot'. Oh please. She did not have Jake grumbling about 'that retarded douche' every second she wasn't there. Soon enough, the whole family just wanted her to dump him so that Jake could stop being miserable. The only time when his mood drastically improved was for the couple of hours that they spent with each other after school.

I was upstairs in my room, listening to music and lying in Chris' arms when we both heard the front door slam. We knew it was Ness coming for Jake's lessons, but we heard her crying. Flying down the stairs, we came across Ness sobbing in Jake's arms, and Jake trying to comfort her, looking furious.

"What happened?" I asked, putting my hand on Nessie's shoulder.

"Retard went and broke up with because he thought she was cheating." Jake hissed, his body starting to shake. In a flash, I pulled Ness away from Jake, and threw her to Chris. Jake's shakes started to get worse, and his eyes started to dilate. Stepping closer to him, I attempted to calm him down, and vaguely heard the rest of the family coming into the room, while Chris rushed Ness upstairs.

"Jake, you're ok, Ness is ok." I said rapidly. "She's with Chris-" his shakes got worse. I backtracked, saying "She's safe in my room." I was too late though. Telling him his imprint was with his mortal enemy was too much for him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he exploded. A large russet wolf stood in his place. I jumped back, snarling. Baring his teeth, Jake growled at me.

"Get Ness." I hissed at Tanya, who stood behind me.

"Are you sure? She might get hurt!" she protested.

Never raising my voice, I said "Chris? Bring Ness down here. Jake would never calm down if he doesn't see her safe." Chris was then behind me, Ness in his arms, before I could say 'imprint'.

Seeing her, Jake's growls got softer, and he lay down on the floor of the living room, whimpering. His body shuddered, and Jake lay in front of us. Totally naked. Chris ran out and returned, a pair of shorts in his hand. I turned around, giving Jake some privacy, and the whole family left the room, as there was no more danger. I met Ness' tear-rimmed eyes. Instead of being filled with sadness and betrayal, like how it was before, it was now filled with admiration and love.

Jake walked up to Ness, and enveloped her in his arms. He was whispering something to her, and I did not even try to eavesdrop. I just grabbed Chris' hand and ran outside, out of everyone's listening range. It was getting warmer, and I giggled as I spun in a circle. Finally Jake and Ness would get together, and he could stop complaining. I looked in Chris' eyes and he had the same look that Ness had when looking at Jake.

I jumped into Chris' arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. Our kiss started slow, and then deepened. Our mouths moved in perfect synchronization, and the world stood still. He lay me on the ground, and growled softly as his lips moved from my mouth to my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair, moaning slightly as his mouth moved back to my lips. I could feel him unbuttoning my shirt and realized I was unzipping his pants. Shocked, I jumped back.

He looked at me with confusion on his beautiful face. I smiled, and cupped his face with my hand. I gave him a slight peck on the lips, and pulled away before it could become more. I just wasn't ready for that. I wanted it- my whole body did- and I knew there was no one else I would rather do it with than Chris. I just did not want to do it on the ground. Laughing, I pulled Chris up.

"Race?" I asked him. He smiled at me, and was gone. "Hey!" I screamed, as I raced behind him. "That's not fair!" I then heard him behind me, and before I could do anything, he grabbed me around my waist and lifted me up. Laughing, I turned around him and kissed him deeply. His eyes glazed over with desire, and before he could recover, I sped away from him to the house, laughing as he tried to keep up.

:::::::::::::

We burst back into the house, and came across Jacob and Nessie making out on the couch. They heard us come in and they jumped apart, blushing.

I raised my eyebrows to them, and said "Well you guys work fast."

"Not as fast as you did Bella." Jake retorted, his eyes mischievous. If I could have blushed, I would have. I just scowled at him. Chris wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. Rolling my head back, I groaned softly.

"Ey! Get a room!" a pillow hit me in the stomach. Snarling playfully, I picked up the pillow and threw it back at Jake. He dodged it laughing, and turned to Chris. "Hope you like 'em feisty Chrissy boy! This one is as feisty as they get!" Moving at vampire speed I tackled him to the ground. I pinned his arms down, and used my newborn strength to keep them there. I hissed in his face, and smirked. Chortling, Chris picked me up off of him.

"C'mon Bella. You're scaring Nessie." I looked at Ness, worried, only to see her holding back laughter. Seeing my worried look, she let out the laugh she was holding. I smiled at her, and my smile turned into laughter.

"Damn Jake! You did a good job imprinting on her!" I said in between my laughs. "She's a damn good addition to our crazy family." He sat behind her and hugged her, happiness written all over his face.

Tanya chose that moment to walk in. she rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Ok lovebirds, you can stop now. Nessie has to go back home." Jake pouted, and Ness pecked him on the lips.

"Don't worry," she whispered. I guess she didn't remember we had really good hearing. "I'll see ya tomorrow at school. And all you vamps can stop eavesdropping now." I guess she did remember. I chuckled, and led Chris to my room. I still needed help with trig.


	9. Attack

**Same disclaimer as always…**

**Plz review!! :]**

I was sitting in literature class when I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at the screen- it was a message from Chris.

_Can't stop thinking about you :)_

_ Me neither ;] now stp it! Im in class! _I texted back quickly.

I stared at the board, trying to pay attention to the teacher, when my phone buzzed again. I rolled my eyes. Ready to cuss Chris, I looked at the screen. It was a message from Jacob. I frowned, puzzled.

_Meet me in the parking lot. We have to go. _

I scowled at the screen, but got up from my seat and excused myself. I sped to the parking lot, whipping my keys from my bag. I saw Jacob by my car, looking agitated. Before I could ask him anything, he jumped into the car, his face distant. I realized he was going into Alpha mode. We sped down the highway in silence. I couldn't take the suspense anymore, so I texted Chris a quick message, telling him that I left school early.

Before I could ask anything, Jake said, "Quil and Embry are at the house. The brought Seth- apparently he joined my pack." He rolled his eyes.

"So what's so urgent? They know where the house is, and Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar are at work." Tanya worked as a surgeon at the hospital- she got the idea from Carlisle. Carmen and Eleazar both owned some small boutique in town.

Jake turned to me, all seriousness. "They were heading to the house, and they smelt a vampire. Thinking it was the Denali coven, they rushed to the smell. It was a group of newborns. The newborns attacked, and Seth got injured. Quil and Embry realized they were losing the battle, so they grabbed Seth and ran to the house." I gasped. I pushed the Ferrari to its limit, and reached the house in record time. Before we reached the front step, I was assaulted by the smell of blood.

I reeled away from the house. I had not fed in two weeks, and my resistance was wearing down. Jacob looked at me, torn between helping his pack and helping me.

"Go." I growled. He nodded and rushed into the house. I ran into the forest, letting go of all of my self-imposed boundaries, looking for prey.

:::::::::::::

After I had fed, I called Tanya, explaining the situation quickly. I shut the phone before she had time to answer. I ran into the house, and the smell of blood had lessened. It was also easier for me to bear.

Seth was on the kitchen table, his left leg at an awkward angle. His left arm was covered in blood. When I studied it, I was amazed it was not severed. The slash went all the way to the bone. He even had a slash that went from the corner of his eye to his temple. Even with all his injuries, Seth was able to smile at me, but he winced when the dried blood cracked on his face.

"Hey Bells. You're looking good!" he winced as Jacob set his leg straight. "I'm glad to see your eyes are getting lighter." Another smile. I tried to smile back, but my eyes were trained on Jacob bandaging his face. I went to his side, and held his hand. He looked at me, worry and pain in his eyes and squeezed my hand. If I were a human he would have broken my hand, he was squeezing so hard. Quil and Embry came in, holding cleaned cloths for Seth's arm. They were both bareback, and I realized Jake was also bareback, wearing a new pair of shorts. I guess he had to phase to force Seth into his human form.

I looked at Seth again as he squeezed my hand tighter again. "It's ok Seth, Jake will fix you." I smiled, but it never reached my eyes. He was hurt, badly. Thank God they healed quickly. His wounds had stopped bleeding, mostly, and his leg was not purple anymore.

Jake took the proffered cloths, and started to bind Seth's arm, attempting to staunch the flow of blood. After he had bound the wound he gave Seth a quick check. Satisfied he did all he could, he sat back and waited.

Five minutes later, Tanya came rushing into the house. Seth was crying out and lashing at Jake and Quil, who were holding him down. He was delirious. She took in the situation quickly, and then started barking orders. She sent Jake for her kit in her car, and sent Quil and Embry to get more cloth; Seth's arm was bleeding through the bandage.

"What can I do?" I asked, concern laced in my voice.

"Pray." Replied Tanya, shaking her head. "Jake helped him a lot; if he did not clean the wounds, they would be so badly infected that I would have had to amputate. He seemed to have missed something though." She said with a frown. "For some reason, a wound is infected. It's not the arm, or the face-where is it?" she said the last question to herself as she turned Seth on his side. Hissing, she spun around and shouted to Jacob. "Jacob! Hurry with that kit! We have a situation!"


	10. Fight

**Same disclaimer…**

I looked around Tanya and sucked my breath through my teeth. Seth had a small but prominent bite mark on his right side. Vampire venom was poison to a werewolf. Jacob came running in with Tanya's medical kit. From it she pulled out a scalpel, and cut around the bite. She bent down to drink his blood when Jacob stopped her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice enraged.

"A newborn bit him!" she screamed back, not even attempting to keep her voice and demeanor calm. "I can save him only if I suck the venom out, unless it is already too late!" instead of arguing further, she put her lips on Seth's back and started to suck.

Jake and I stood in tense silence as Tanya sucked the venom out of Seth's body. At first I wasn't sure if it was even working, but then I noticed Seth become calmer. He started to relax, and then fell asleep. Jake and I approached him tentatively, and Tanya pulled away from his back.

"I think he is ok." She said, her voice strained. "I can no longer taste any venom in him. I…I have to go." I nodded, and she ran off.

Jake carried Seth into his guesthouse and lay him on the bed.

"What can I do?" I asked, willing to help. Jake shoved past me, heading to his kitchen. "Hey!" I yelled, peeved. "Jacob Black! What is your problem?"

He turned to me, his face thunderous. "You are my problem!" he yelled back. "You just let that…that…bloodsucker suck his blood!"

I stepped back, shocked. "What the hell do you mean?" I shouted. "She just saved his life? Aren't you even grateful?"

"No! If it weren't for your kind, I would not be here! You would be human and I would be in La Push worried about normal stuff! Not worried about his life! He's too young to die!"

A sound startled us, stopping out argument. Seth staggered out of Jake's room, and looked at us reproachfully. His face was ashen, and he was weaving as he stood. Jake went to help him, but he shrugged off Jake's helping hand. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe.

"Look at you two!" he said, his voice a whisper. "Y'all are best friends, but you are fighting like the mortal enemies you are." He turned to Jake. "True, I was injured, but it is all part of the job. I would rather be a werewolf than a human any day. Jake think about it, if you weren't a werewolf, you would have never met Ness." Jake bowed his head, ashamed. "Also didn't you swear that even though Bella was a vampire, you would still try to be her friend? And honestly, if it wasn't for the bloodsucker, I would not be here." He smiled weakly, and turned to me. "Bella, try to understand what he just went through. He thought I almost died, when it is his job to protect me. He's under a lot of stress. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I'm wiped." With that, he went back into the bedroom and in a matter of seconds we heard his soft snores.

We stood in awkward silence, refusing to meet the other's eyes.

"Jake I-"

"Bells-"

We smiled, and then laughed as we realized we were trying to say the same thing at the same time. Quil and Embry came into the guesthouse, and shrugged when they saw us laughing.

"Um Jake…"

"Yeah I know, Embry, you're hungry." Jake said, still chuckling. "C'mon, I'll fix you guys something to eat."

:::::::::::::

It was 2a.m. and I found myself outside Jacob's guesthouse. I was nervous; I did not want to wake anybody inside. I could hear Quil and Embry snoring on the floor of Jake's bedroom, with Jacob's slow and steady breathing coming from beside Seth. I knew he feel asleep sitting on a chair, watching over Seth, but I bet he did not mean to fall asleep.

I heard familiar footsteps come up behind me, and felt his arms wrap around my waist. Time stood still, and I turned to Chris.

"Thank you." I whispered, though there was no need to whisper. He just nodded, and pulled me along into the house. Somehow he knew that I wanted to go inside without me even telling him. We walked inside, everyone else frozen in time. I stood beside Seth's bed, and studied his face. It was calm and restful, not pinched in pain as I expected. Chris squeezed my hand in reassurance. I gave him a little half smile, and he let my hand go, allowing time to flow freely once again.

Jake started as he sensed someone next to him. Seeing it was Chris and I, he cursed softly under his breath.

"Dammit, can you warn me? I was just resting my eyes." Even as he said this, his eyes started to droop again.

"Rest Jake." I whispered back. "We'll watch over him. You can go to my room and sleep." He just grunted, and headed to the main house.

Chris sat on the chair, and opened his arms for me to sit on his lap. I sat, and got comfortable, ready to wait the next few hours again.


	11. Situation

**Same disclaimer as always…**

"Watch out!" I yelled, before I crashed into Chris. We had taken the day off of school to help Jacob out, but we really took it so we could spend more time together. The truth is, even though we spent a lot of time together, we were never alone. There were always vampires or werewolves in the house.

Today Jacob and Seth were in the guesthouse, while Quil and Embry were grocery shopping. Everyone else was either at work or at school. Chris and I were finally alone. I was currently sliding on the floor with my fuzzy white socks I bought recently. The weather was getting warmer, so I was dressed in a white tank top and jean shorts. Chris was in shorts and a t-shirt.

I giggled s I landed on top of Chris. With a grunt, he fell on the floor with me on top. I attempted to push off of him, but he just growled and pulled me closer. I gently nipped his bottom lip, and tried to rise again. He just held me closer.

"Aww c'mon Chris, lemme up." I told him.

"Nope. I like you here." I laughed, and rested my head on his chest. "Bella?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"Why don't you ever take it further than just kissing?" I looked up at him, startled.

"What do you mean?"

He just shrugged and refused to meet my eyes. I lay my head on his chest again, felling kind of guilty.

"Honestly Chris, it's because I'm still a virgin. I want my first time to be special, and I don't think doing it on the floor is special." I shrugged. He cupped my face and raised it so I could look him in the eyes.

"Well in that case, I have the perfect place for you." He chuckled, and I kissed him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He pulled a way from me just a little so that he could get up. My legs were still around his waist and his lips never left my neck. Placing me gently on my bed, he lay on top of me, raising his lips from my neck to my lips. We kissed hungrily, and his hand went under my shirt to cup my boob and he gently rubbed the sensitive spot on my nipple. I groaned, wanting to do it now. Screw a special place. All I wanted was him.

Chris pulled away, his amber eyes full of love and lust. He chuckled, and sat at the edge of my bed.

"No Bella, I promised your first time would be special." He said, a bit regretfully. I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Well my bedroom is pretty special." I retorted, knowing I sounded childish. Chris just laughed and gave me a peck on the lips.

"C'mon Bells. I hear Quil and Embry driving up now, and they would definitely need help with the food. Werewolves eat a lot."

I just groaned and got out of bed. I hated cooking for those monsters.

:::::::::::::

I knocked on Jacob's bedroom door tentatively. I heard Seth and Jake talking in low whispers and I wasn't sure if I should interrupt, even if I had a tray laden with hot food.

"…are you sure?" I heard Jake whisper as I opened the door. I saw Seth nod his head, and look at me joy overcoming his features.

"Bella! Heya! Didn't see ya there. Is that all for me?"

"Nah Seth, some is for Jake too." I said as I put the tray on his lap. He looked slightly crestfallen, and I giggled. "Joke Seth. I was joking."

"Oh. I knew that." He mumbled through the mouthful of food.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure Seth." I looked at Jacob, and he sighed as he got out of the chair.

"Seth, I'm gonna talk to Bella about what you just told me, kay?" Seth just nodded and continue to eat.

We walked out of the room into the kitchen, where Chris handed Jake a plate of food. Quil and Embry were already half way done.

After Jake shoveled down his food, he started to tell us the details of Seth's attack.

"As you know, Seth, Embry and Quil smelt vampires on the way to the house. They detoured, expecting to find any one of you, and instead found newborns. Seth got injured, and they retreated."

"How many?" asked Chris, all business.

Quil answered. "Approximately fifteen newborns, with more about five miles away." Chris and I whistled. That was a lot of new vamps.

"That's not the only interesting thing. Seth said that right before he got attacked, he noticed red hair. Bright red hair." He looked at me expectantly.

"Victoria." I said in a whisper.

Jake nodded. "We suspect so. Or at least, someone who has hair like hers, which is rare."

"But that's impossible!" Yelled Embry. "Jake we killed that bitch! We burnt the pieces of her and all!"

"I know." He said, his voice shaking with suppressed anger. "But somehow, she's back. And we think she's after Bella again."

This isn't possible. There was no way. Oh crap. Crap, crap, crap. Chris put his arms around me protectively, and I smiled weakly up at him.

"You know we have to tell everyone else." Chris said, and Jake nodded. Before he could say anything else, Irina and Kate burst into the house.

"Vicky's back?" cried Kate. "Hmm…" tapping her well manicured finger against her chin she continued, "Guess we'll have to show her how bad-ass we are." She chortled, high-fiving her sister. Ness followed the sisters in meekly, heading straight for Jake. He hugged her, and gave her a quick kiss before turning to the rest of the people in the room.

"Ok. Bells, you have to call the Cullens. We would need their help. I have to call Sam and explain the situation."

I nodded, my cell phone already out and dialing Alice's number.

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	12. Awkward Phone Call

**Standard disclaimer applies**

**R&R PLZ =]**

_Ringggg _

I frowned. Alice always picked up the phone before it even rang. As the second ring started, she finally answered.

"Hello?"

I gasped involuntarily. I have not spoken to him since the last day I saw him, so many months ago, but his beautiful voice was still so familiar to me. It brought back the blissful days I spent with him when I was still human- they were fuzzy, but happy memories. Except the last one. I felt the phantom pain again, remembering those long months without him.

"Bella?"

"Hey Edward." I whispered, knowing he would still be able to hear me. "I…um…need to speak to Alice."

"She's out hunting."

"Oh." The silence stretched out long enough to be awkward. I felt Chris' and Jacob's eyes on my back, so I walked out of the guesthouse and into the main house.

"So…how are you?" his voice was careful, but I could still hear the hint of a strain in it.

"I'm fine. I still have problems with calculus," I replied, hoping to lighten the mood. "but I have Chris-" he hissed softly at the name "-to help." I finished, mumbling. I could picture him now- his bronze hair tousled as usual, pinching the bridge of nose, trying to control himself.

"What did you want Alice for?" the strain was more evident now.

I quickly outlined the situation. He interrupted a few times to ask questions, but he mostly just listened.

"I was wondering if Alice saw anything." I said when I had finished.

"No- she cannot see past the dogs." I grimaced, knowing he meant Jake and the pack. They would want to know this little tidbit.

"She can't see Jake?"

"Nor any of the other werewolves. It must be their volatile natures or…" his voice drifted off, lost in speculation. 'In any case, we would come there to help. I assume that is the other reason for your call?" I heard a smile in his voice, and nodded, but then remembered he could not see me.

"Yep. If you don't mind." I added.

"Bella, it'll be no problem. We'll be there by this afternoon. Calgary right?"

"Yep! See you!" I said, cheerful.

"Bella- be safe."

I rolled my eyes. "I will, Edward. I'm a vampire remember?" I said, teasing.

"Bye Bella. And I- never mind." He hung up, leaving me bewildered and intrigued on what he meant to say.

Still speculating, I walked back to the guest house at human pace. I heard raised and excited voices, and burst into the guesthouse. I took in the situation quickly- everyone was clustered around a newcomer. I peeked over their heads as I moved to the wall where Chris was standing. Taking his hand into my own, I whispered "Who's that?"

"Leah. She just arrived a few minutes after you left, right after Jake and Nessie went to talk." I raised my eyebrows. Ness was here? Hmmm…

Irina and Kate stood and watched the werewolves, ready to join in the conversation as soon as it turned to something more to their liking- getting Victoria. I shivered slightly with fear and anticipation. Irina had a personal stake in this; Laurent was her lover before he was lured away from her by Victoria on her personal vendetta against me. She did not blame the wolves for killing him, but she wanted Victoria dead. Or dead-er.

When the pack had finally settled down, Seth sitting next to his sister and everyone else either standing or sitting on the floor, they started to discuss strategy. Irina and Kate eagerly partook in the conversation, often gesturing wildly and speaking above Quil and Embry.

I watched with mild interest, my mind on different topics. Why was she here? How did she survive? Is she after me still, or Jake and his pack? What did Edward want to tell me? Is Charlie ok? Renee? All my friends at Forks, who now believed me dead? Before I sank into depression over the unanswered questions, we were disturbed by a bloodcurdling scream, which was suddenly cut off.

An anguished wolf's howl rent the still air.

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	13. Victoria

**Standard disclaimer applies**

**R&R PLZ =]**

Jake's POV

Bella left, her face betraying her nervousness when talking to Edward. I could practically feel the hot waves of jealousy rolling off of Chris as he watched Bella enter the house. Sensing my gaze, he shot me a terse smile.

Ness burst into the guesthouse, and immediately ran to me. I pulled Ness closer to me, inhaling her scent. She always smelt so good- kind of like strawberries. I felt her shiver, and realized how cold it must be. I was bareback and in my cut-off jeans, as were all the other werewolves, but I did not feel the chill.

"Jake?" her voice was barely a whisper. "May I speak to you? Outside?" I nodded my understanding, ignoring the whistles from Quil and Embry.

We trekked through the forest along an indistinct path for about an hour until we reached a clearing. Ness then stopped and kept her back to me. God, she was beautiful. The sun glinted off of her sun streaked hair, and she was tiny, almost vulnerable. She seemed to shimmer, almost like a mirage, which would disappear at any time. I wanted to protect her from everything and I suddenly knew I would do anything for her.

"Jake?" She said, still not looking at me. "I don't want you to fight." Well, almost anything. Something occurred to me- I never told Ness about the fight. Well, it did not matter. There was no way I was missing this fight.

I must have said the last part aloud, because she spun around to face me, tears streaming down her face. I strode to her and wrapped her in my arms. She struck me ineffectually with her small hands. "No! I don't want to lose you! I'm scared for you." She mumbled the last sentence into my chest, her hands resting against my chest. I held her close to me, comforting with my presence. Her chocolate brown eyes met mine, revealing the extent of her worry. I held back a laugh, knowing she should be worried for herself, the only human in the company of werewolves and vampires.

"I'm so scared."

"You don't have to be." I replied. "I'll be fine-more than fine!" I then kissed her, our lips moving in sync, when I noticed a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.

I stiffened, and looked in the direction that I saw the red in. I allowed my senses to range in all directions, but sensed nothing. I frowned.

"Jake? What's wrong?" I shushed Nessie, listening for any sign of an attack. After a few tense moments, I grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the clearing, back to the trail.

Before we could reach the trail, something grabbed Ness and threw her to the other side of the clearing.

I spun around and phased, a loud snarl ripping out of my chest. I saw Victoria standing over Nessie, my Nessie, her lips going for her throat. I froze, not knowing what to do. It was only when Nessie screamed as Victoria latched her lips to her throat did I finally act. I lunged at Victoria and tore her away from Nessie.

I was too late.

Ness was still, her eyes staring at the sky, her blood seeping from her throat onto her white hoodie.

I howled in agony.

_Jake! _I heard Quil call out. I sensed Embry behind him, followed by…Leah? _What happened? _

He looked through my eyes and saw Ness' still form. I felt them speed up to reach me. Even though I registered they were coming to help, I was numb. I could not process that information.

Nessie was dead.

I had failed to protect her, like I failed to protect Bella.

I had no more reason to live.

I started to spiral into depression when I heard a noise behind me. I spun around to face Victoria, a growl building in my throat.

Only this wasn't Victoria, but a girl. She had Victoria's wild red hair, but the similarities ended there. She looked to be about Bella's age, but was shorter and smaller- she was approximately Alice's size. Her eyes were black and looked at me murderously. Even though I could see her, I still could not sense her. All my other senses-beside sight- denied her presence.

This was no newborn. This girl has been around for a while.

Quil, Embry and Leah burst into the clearing, followed by the other vampires. Seeing the group massed against her, she spun on her heel and ran away from the clearing. Quil and Embry tore after her, followed by Irina and Kate. I could care less.

I walked to Ness' body, her blood soaking into the ground. I heard Bella's gasp as she saw her, and I looked at Chris beseechingly. He nodded and took Bella away from the blood covered girl, back to the house.

I lay next to Nessie, studying her body, wishing I could be where she was now. I wanted to be with her forever, but I was no longer allowed that luxury. I let out another tormented howl, mourning for my soul mate.

Ness' eyes shot open and she gasped. "Jake!"

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**Or else…**


	14. Ness' Story

**Same disclaimer applies…**

Jake's POV

The Cullens came later that day. Carlisle rushed into the room where Ness was staying, hoping to study how she survived and without turning into a bloodsucker. I sat next to Ness, holding her hand in my own, wishing she would wake up while Carlisle did his examination.

"Jacob…" started Carlisle. My eyes flicked to his worried face and back to Ness' peaceful one.

"Yes Carlisle?" I asked, my voice carefully calm.

"Ness seems to be perfectly healthy." He said warily. "Even though she had lost a lot of blood"- I flinched slightly at that- "She seems to have regained it all very quickly. She barely even has a scar. I think…I think she may not even be human." I shot up at this.

"What?" I thundered. "She cannot be a filthy bloodsucker like you! It hasn't even been a day!"

Carlisle looked at me coolly. "I never said she was a vampire. I just stated that she was not human." At this, Ness stirred and looked up at us groggily.

"Jake? Where am I?"

I rushed to her side, and stroked her forehead. "Shh Ness, it's ok. You're in Bella's room."

Carlisle approached her warily. "Ness? I'm Carlisle Cullen. I'm curious about how you survived the attack." I glared at Carlisle, and he just looked back at me calmly.

"Carlisle…" I said, a warning in my voice.

Before I could get any further, Ness put her hand on my arm. "It's ok Jake. I meant to explain anyways." She took a deep breath. "But before I explain, I need everyone in here." I nodded, and went to call everyone else.

:::::::::::::

A few minutes later, everyone was crowded into Bella's small room. The vampires and werewolves were separated on either side of the room, and Chris and Bella were in between the two groups. Edward kept throwing jealous glances at Chris' arms wrapped protectively around Bella's waist, but Alice looked deliriously happy about the pairing.

I sat next to Ness on the bed, propping her up against my body.

"I know everyone is wondering how I survived. Its because I'm part vampire." Everyone looked shocked at this, even Alice. I stiffened.

"What? How?" my voice was barely a whisper.

Ness turned her tortured eyes to mine. "I'm so sorry I did not tell you sooner. I wanted to tell you today, but then I heard you guys talking about the fight and I got so angry and worried that I got sidetracked." She rushed her words. "Please forgive me?"

"Aww Ness," I said, snuggling closer to her. "I could never not forgive you." I gave her a weak smile, and pecked her on her lips. I heard a disgusted noise, and I turned and growled at Rosalie.

"Ness, if you would please…?" started Edward, his golden eyes burning with curiosity.

"Oh yeah. I am a half-breed, an anomaly. My father is a vampire, my mother human. She died while giving birth to me. There are two others of my kind that I know about- Charlotte and Matt."

"Your siblings?" asked Bella, looking confused. Ness nodded.

"We pretend to be cousins, or siblings, depending on where we live. I'm about a thousand years old now." Wow, that was older than Carlisle! I looked at Ness in awe.

"Who is your father?" asked Carlisle gently.

"My father is Aro, head of the Volturi. Matt's father is Caius, and Charlotte's father is Marcus." All the vampires looked at Ness suspiciously. I knew my face was blank, because Ness began to explain. "The Volturi are like the vampire royalty. We lived with them for the first six years of our lives, until we were fully grown. We grow faster than normal, reaching full maturity within a few years. After we finished growing, our fathers sent us out into the world, to experience it fully. We only see them every few years or so. No one knows about us, and our fathers like to keep it that way."

"So who takes care of you?" That was Carmen.

"Oh it changes. They are always humans loyal to the Volturi. Our current guardian is Gianna. Every four years we move to another town, and restart high school. Sometimes our guardian would stay the same, but mostly they change. It is only between schools do we see our fathers."

Carlisle, ever curious, asked, "What does your diet comprise of?"

Ness shrugged. "We drink blood, like any other vampire, but we can live off of human food. We also have special…talents…that we inherited from our fathers. For example, I can project my thoughts and feelings into other people's heads by just touching them." Carlisle looked intrigued, and reached his hand out for her to try it on him. She sighed, and touched his outstretched hand. Carlisle's eyes widened as Ness projected whatever thoughts she had. Edward's eyebrows were raised as he read their thoughts.

"Amazing." Breathed Carlisle. Ness shrugged again.

"Yeah. Charlotte and I have different variations of out father's powers. Her father can sense relationships, and Charlotte can change relationships. She can either break them or make them. It's an interesting power."

"That's for sure." Mumbled Carlisle, his face in deep speculation.

Ness sagged against me, and seeing her apparent weariness, Carlisle ushered everyone out of the room. Before he left, he turned to Ness for one last question. "Ness, are you venomous?"

She shook her head. "I'm not, and neither is Charlotte, but Matt is. We don't know why female's aren't, and males are, but we guess it must have something to do with the different chromosomes." She grinned. Carlisle smiled, and left the room, leaving me with Ness.

She looked at me worriedly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She looked at me, disbelief written all over her face. "Oh alright, I'm kind of freaked." She grinned, and placed her hand on my face. I gasped as she showed her thoughts to me- when she first saw me, our first kiss, the day in the forest.

"Wow Ness. That's…hell I don't know how to explain it!" I laughed, and she laughed with me.

"So you're ok with all of this?" she asked, a slight frown on her face. I frowned.

"Well, in a way, I am. I was very curious about how you knew about the fight before I told you, and you also used to kind of shimmer in the sunlight. I guess this explains it all." My frown deepened. "But why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Oh Jake!" she cried, "I wanted to, I really did, but dad said I couldn't, he didn't care about our relationship, he doesn't understand! But I had to tell you! So I was going to tell you today…" she sobbed.

"It's ok Ness, I understand. It's ok." She cried some more into my chest, and fell into a deep sleep soon after she cried herself out. I held her as she slept, and wondered how I was able to deserve this remarkable girl sleeping next to me.

**I know this chapter was a bit longer than usual, but I hoped you enjoyed it! =] It took me really long to figure out what to do with Ness, but thanx to my friend Dee, I was able to figure it out! Thanks a bunch Dee!! ;] **

**Don't forget to leave a review!! **


	15. Dinner

**Same disclaimer applies**

Ness' POV

I opened the door and was immediately bombarded with questions from Charlotte.

"Where have you been? We have been worried sick!" her sky blue eyes looked at me accusingly. Matt came up behind her and put an arm around her waist.

"C'mon Charlie, don't be like that. Can't you see she's exhausted?" Charlie huffed and stomped out of the room. Matt followed her sashaying hips with his sparkling green eyes. I am the eldest out of all of us, born 10 years before Matt and Charlie. They were born within days of each other and grew up together, so it was not a surprise when they graduated from best friends to lovers. This posed a bit of a problem when we pretended to be siblings, but they have perfected the art of hiding their feelings publicly.

Charlie is taller than my 5'2" height by about 3 inches, and Matt is 6 feet. They are total opposites; while she is blonde and blue-eyed, he has short cropped black hair and dark green eyes. He is silent while she is outspoken, calm to her volatility. They are perfect for each other, in my opinion.

"So are you planning on telling me where you have been?" while Charlie would demand my answer, Matt would gently prod it out of me. He is much more patient than Charlie. "Is that a bite mark on your neck?" concerned, he leaned in to study the new scar. "Oh my gosh Ness, what did you do?" his eyes were wide and disbelieving as I related the story.

"Serves you damn right for falling in love with our enemy!" shouted Charlie from upstairs. Being part vampire allows us to have extra sensitive senses, and we are faster and more graceful than humans.

I sighed. "Where is Gianna?"

"Out." Matt continued to study my scar, his face contemplative. "You know we will have to tell her, and your father."

"I know." I sighed again. "He's not going to be too happy. Especially when he hears the Cullens are now involved. Aw crap!" تI could just imagine the amount of trouble I would be in. I winced, imaging the punishment dad would give me.

Gianna chose that moment to barge into the house. She is average height, with brown hair and green eyes. She has been our guardian for the past two high schools, hoping to please dad so he could turn her into a vampire. I knew dad had no plans to do so, but no way in hell was I telling her that.

"Ness darling!" she cried, embracing me. I got a whiff of her cheap perfume and almost gagged. Other than her tacky taste in clothes and perfume, Gianna really wasn't that bad. "Where have you been?"

"I've been by Jake."

She frowned. "Nessie hunny, you know that your father disapproves of your relationship with that..." she backtracked when she saw my glare. "With him." she finished lamely. "He only worries about you." she ended gently. Walking to the kitchen, she announced, "Dinner will be served in 5 minutes!"

"Is it blood or nasty human food?" cried Charlie, tearing down the stairs. Gianna stared at Charlie, disapproval written in her stance.

"Charlotte, if you want blood, go for some yourself." Gianna then entered the kitchen and proceeded to make dinner.

I sat in the sitting room, lost in thought. I wondered what it would be like to live off of animal blood instead of human...nahh. It couldn't be as tasty. But maybe Bella might take me hunting with her next time. Suddenly hopeful, I bounced into the kitchen at Gianna's cheerful cry of "Dinner!"

:::::::::::::

After dinner, Charlie turned to me. I knew what she wanted before she opened her mouth. "Not tonight, Char. Sorry."

She scowled at me. "Aw, c'mon Ness! You need the blood as much as I or Matt do! It'll take like an hour!"

"I would, but I actually want to go hunting with Bella. Y'know, try out being a vegetarian and all." I never looked her in the eyes.

"What? Ness, what the fuck? You spend a few weeks with them, and you're trading secrets and shit! What about us?" I kept my face down, playing with my fork. "Fine." She said, her voice disgusted. "C'mon Matt, let's go." Matt patted my shoulder sympathetically, and left after his sweetheart.

I sighed after they left the kitchen, and cleared the dishes. Half-way through washing them, Gianna came and stood next to me and dried the dishes. We worked like that in companionable silence until I announced I was going by Jake. She just nodded and put the plates away.

As I grabbed my favorite green sweater, I heard her soft voice behind me. "She really does care about you, you know. She's just worried. You've changed so much since they came along." I nodded, holding back my tears. I hated fighting with Charlotte, but she did not understand, nor would she even try. At least I had Matt on my side.

I grabbed my keys and fled into the garage.

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	16. Proposal

**Same disclaimer =]**

**Enjoy!!**

Bella's POV

Bam!

Ness burst through the front door, tears streaming down her cheeks, and headed straight to Jacob. Shushing her, he led her upstairs to my room.

I stared wide-eyed at the other two sitting in front of me.

Jake, Chris, Edward and I were discussing this new vampire when Ness came in. Edward does not think that Victoria and this girl have any connection, and Chris and Jake agree with him. I, however, think they are related in some way.

I saw Edward's face wrinkle in concentration, and I knew he was eavesdropping on their conversation. I strained my ears, but even with my supernatural hearing, I could not hear anything.

"Ness is relating a fight between her and Charlotte, using her talent." Edward murmured, seeing my worry. His eyes opened wide, and we heard Jake upstairs.

"Stay out of our heads, Edward!" roared Jacob.

Edward smiled grimly. "Turns out she also has extra sensitive hearing." eyebrows raised, he continued, "And they are faster than normal, and stronger. Oops, I think I'm in trouble." Jake raced down the stairs, and Edward got up to face an infuriated Jacob. Chris tightened his arm around me in response to Jacob's reaction.

I held back a very inappropriate giggle. Seeing my face, Jake turned to me and growled "What?"

The expression on his face was priceless, and I couldn't hold in my bellowing laugh. "Oh Jake!" I said, gasping, "You should see your face! Don't give yourself an aneurism!"

He cracked a smile, and Edward and Chris relaxed slightly.

However, his expression was stern as he appraised Edward. "Do not invade our minds like that again, or so help me!" he raised his arms to the skies to emphasize his point. Predicting a fight, I got in between the two, placing my hands on either of their chests.

"Jake, Edward cannot control what he hears, and you know about his abilities, so if you really wanted the conversation to be private, I would suggest you take it somewhere else."

"Or I could make him go somewhere else." snarled Jake. Edward only glared back in response.

I sighed, and turned to Edward. I was suddenly very aware of my hand placement, and quickly moved my hand. He flashed my favorite crooked smile, and leaned towards me.

"I probably enjoyed that a bit more than I should have." he then shot a grin at the now fuming Chris.

I sighed, and was very grateful that I couldn't blush.

I attempted a stern voice when I addressed Edward. "You should know better than to eavesdrop." he smiled again, but attempted to plaster a remorseful look on his face. I felt an arm snake around my waist, and I leaned into Chris. I saw a twinge of annoyance cross Edwards face, and he stiffly walked out.

"Stop it." I whispered to Chris. Jake had stomped back upstairs to Nessie when Edward left, so it was just Chris and I downstairs. The other werewolves were hunting the vampires with Kate, Irina and Tanya. Esme and Carlisle were taking care of Seth, who still wasn't recovered, and Rosalie and Emmett were God knows where. Alice and Jasper went someplace away from the wolves so that she could try to see any attacks.

"Stop what?" he whispered back, nuzzling my neck. "This?" I tried to reorganize my thoughts.

"No." I moaned. With effort, I pulled away from his tempting kisses. "No I mean stop provoking Edward."

Chris sighed, and leaned against the wall. Running his hands trough his hair, he replied, "Bella, what can I do? He still loves you. You don't notice how much he stares at you, but I have. I'm just..."

"Jealous?" I asked, smiling. I snuggled into him, and he wrapped his arms around me. "I love you. He's my past, and you're my present."

"What about your future?"

"That's understood." I replied, confused.

"Not really." he sighed, and spun me around so I could see his face. He sent me a warning glance before going down on one knee. I gasped, and before I could protest, he cut me off. "Bella, I want to do this properly, do please don't protest." I nodded, shocked. "Isabella Swan, would you marry me?" he pulled out a small box, and opened it, revealing a diamond ring. It was a simple platinum band with a single tear drop shaped diamond on it. I gasped again.

"Chris, it's beautiful!" I cried.

He rolled his eyes. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" I cried, and threw my arms around his neck, placing a kiss on his lips.

"Ahem." we were interrupted by a polite cough behind us. I detached my lips from Chris' to see Edward standing in the doorway. "I just wanted to say congratulations." he told us, his face blank. "Excuse me." and with that, he left us.

I moved to follow, but was stopped by Jake and Ness crashing down the stairs to offer their congrats, soon followed by Esme and Carlisle. After a few minutes I was surrounded by Jake, Ness, Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper, who came in soon after Carlisle, and Rosalie and Emmett (where did they come from?). I held Chris' hand throughout the whole scenario, wrapped in my little bubble of happiness. I was so happy I almost did not notice the brooding figure standing right outside the room.

Almost.

**My birthday's today and all I want are reviews ;] **

**Ok my birthday's not today :( but I still want reviews!!! lol**


	17. True Feelings

**Same disclaimer…**

**I was originally gonna do this in Edward's POV, but it was too complicated. He always over thinks things, pluss ill have to include other people's thoughts…it wudda been a mess. So I finally decided to do it from Bella's POV.**

**Review plz!! =]**

Bella's POV

My eyes were trained on Edward but I gracefully accepted everyone's congratulations. Chris kept his arm around my waist, but he felt my tension and my desire to talk to Edward. Only when it was polite, I extricated myself from the celebrations to approach Edward. As I came outside, he smoothly slipped a small box into his pocket.

"Hey."

"Hey. So congrats again."

I scuffed the dirt awkwardly as I tried to come up with a response.

"So what was the little box for?" I blurted out. Edward looked startled, and then laughed.

"I always underestimated your observation skills."

I rolled my eyes, and put my hand out. "C'mon, let me see it."

He sighed, and dug in his pocket for the box and grudgingly put it into my hand. I opened it and revealed a beautiful diamond ring.

"Oh my." I gasped, fingering the delicate gold band.

"It was my mothers." I jumped slightly; I did not realize he had moved so that he was looking over my shoulder. "I had meant it to be yours, but alas..."

I turned around to face him, and the distance between us could be measured in millimeters.

"Edward, you left me remember?" I said gently.

He sighed, frustrated, and walked away from me. "I never did explain why I left, did I?" I shook my head. "It was for your safety and happiness. I wanted you to lead a normal life, a life which you would have led if I did not exist. Even if it meant that you marry that idiot Mike." he was speaking faster, like he used to when he was frustrated. However, unlike when I was human, I could follow him perfectly now. "I'm a good liar, but not so good to have you believe me so easily..."

"It never made sense." his head snapped up at that. "It never made sense for you to love me. I was so ordinary, so human, and you were perfect. I didn't deserve you."

He laughed but it was dry, humorless. "From Jacob's thoughts, I gather you would have been better off with Jasper attacking you at your eighteenth birthday." We both cringed. "I didn't know that you would be affected so strongly. Coming closer to the time of your change, I was fighting every second the urge to come see you again, beg you to take me back. When Alice called me and told me about your transformation, I was overjoyed. Finally, I could be with you without worrying whether I would accidentally break you, or kill you. But you would no longer have me. I have spent the last few months in pure agony, trying to make sense of it and trying to forget about you, and I still have no answer."

"Maybe it's because I had already started to heal, and the transformation not only healed my physical body, but my broken heart. Maybe with the transformation I moved on." I whispered. "Maybe you were too late." I looked up into his agonized eyes, wishing the words didn't sound as true as they did.

"Ah. That would explain it." he sighed, and started to move away.

"Edward!" I said, pulling him back to me. "I'm so sorry."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bella, don't be absurd. You could not help it."

"Bella!" Alice's high trilling voice floated through the air. "Bella come here! I want to plan your engagement party!"

I turned to Edward. "Go." he said, before I could say anything. He flashed me the crooked smile I loved, and continued. "Or else she'll get you herself." We both cringed slightly, and I joined my little party. I was silently happy that I finally understood Edward's reasons for leaving me, broken and alone.

As I walked back into the house, I saw his head snap up, and his golden eyes met my reddish-gold ones.

"You should call Jacob. His pack is coming back, and not with any good news." I nodded, and ran to Jacob's side.

**Reviews r appreciated!! **


	18. Break Ups And Make Ups

**I own nothing!**

Ness' POV

"What to wear, what to wear?" I muttered to myself, frantically pushing clothes side to side in my closet.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, I jumped slightly. I hadn't heard Charlotte come in. "Oh! Charlie, you startled me! Bella got engaged, isn't that great? Alice is having an engagement party tonight, and I have nothing to wear!"

Charlie laughed, and dragged me to her room. I pulled my towel closer when I saw Matt lounging on Charlie's bed. He rolled his eyes and walked out the room, silently closing the door behind him.

"Is it formal?" asked Charlotte, opening the door to her colossal closet. I gaped at the sheer size of it. I knew Charlie had a lot of clothes, but whoa. Dad was always trying to send me designer clothes from Italy, but I preferred my jeans and casual tops. Anyone would after wearing dresses for the past 900 years or so. Obviously Charlie didn't have the same reservations I did when it came to clothes and dresses though; even though her closet was huge, items of clothing were crammed into every space imaginable.

She leafed through a selection of dresses at the far end of the closet, and I could already tell that those would fit me perfectly. I scowled. Charlie and I were different sizes because she filled everything out with her voluptuous curves and bigger breasts, while I was graced with a B-cup instead of her double D. Men were always ogling her breasts, and she was always tempted to pull their eyes out of their sockets. However, she did enjoy the jealous glances she got from girls. The dresses she was looking at were clearly meant for me.

She finally pulled out a strappy midnight blue dress which reached right above my knee. It was perfect. I dropped the towel and slipped into the dress. I sighed as the silk settled on my less visible curves, relishing the feel. I forgot how good silk felt against bare skin. I saw Charlotte digging through her pile of dresses, settling on a strapless pink number that reached the floor. It was simple, but elegant.

"You got invited too?" I said, my voice registering my surprise.

"Yes, silly. Alice called right before you came back in, and I accepted. I always love a party." She had a wicked gleam in her eyes, but I ignored it. Whatever she was up to did not involve me, or else she would have asked me to help. Charlie got bored easily, and would pull random pranks every now and then. Matt always kept out of it, leaving me to help if she ever wanted it. "Now shoo. I gotta primp!" she gently pushed me out of the closet, and went to the bathroom the three of us shared, while I went to my room to put on make-up.

I allowed my mind drift to last night. I remembered when Bella came in after talking to Edward, a worried look on her face. She announced that the others were coming back after hunting for the red haired vampire with bad news. Jake had stiffened, but thankfully no one was hurt. Leah was pissing mad, but everyone else seemed to be in control.

"_That fucking bitch eluded us again!" ranted Leah as soon as she had changed back. "Dammit, she's impossible to track. Even with all of us looking for her, we found no trace of her."_

_I saw Edward and Carlisle glance at each other. "That's a good idea, Carlisle." He turned to the rest of us and declared, "Carlisle has an interesting theory. What is this girl has a talent for making herself almost inexistent? Jacob, you said that even though you saw her in front of you, you could not sense her. She must be able to hide her presence from everyone." _

_Everyone nodded their heads. I had to admit, it made sense. The possibilities for my father if he had her…_

I was jolted out of my reverie by Matt knocking on my door. He had two shirts and a collection of ties on his arms.

"Help?" he asked, an apologetic smile on his face. I giggled, and turned to help him.

:::::::::::::

I opened the door to the vampire's house, and gaped at the decorations. There were pink roses and streamers all over the place, and the table was set out with dinner with fine china. I was amazed that Alice was able to get all of the decorations up in small time I was away. Matt and Charlotte walked in, hand in hand, staring at the set up. We walked in tentatively, and I didn't see anyone. As I was passing the stairs, Jacob flew at me and enveloped me in a hug.

He kissed me on the mouth and I pulled away from him, laughing. I took his bigger hand in my own, and turned to Charlie and Matt. "Jake, these are my siblings, and best friends, Charlie and Matt. Matt, Charlie, this is Jacob." Charlotte gave him a casual up and down, while Matt looked as if he was sizing him up for a fight. They smiled politely, but refused to shake his outstretched hand. I glared at them, hissing softly until they stiffly shook his hand.

"Hey Jake, how much do you bench press?" asked Matt, still studying him. Charlie and I rolled our eyes at the typical man question, and wandered off to the garden. I immediately missed the constant warmth that rolled off of Jake, and his hand in mine.

We went until were a bit into the forest, past the twinkling lights around the garden, but we could still hear the sounds coming from the house. The vampires were setting out dinner for us half-humans and the werewolves, joking among themselves. I heard Emmett and Edward join in on Matt and Jake's conversation, and I quickly tuned that conversation out. Charlie moved quietly behind me, which is unusual. I stopped at a point where I could still see the house but no longer hear anything.

Charlie looked as if she were contemplating something, a frown marring her beautiful features.

"Charlie? What's wrong?" I asked, immediately concerned. I viewed Charlie as my sister, and if anything or anyone hurt her, they would see my protective side. It was not pretty.

She shook her head, refusing to meet my gaze. "Please don't be mad, Ness."

"Why would I be mad at you?" I asked, moving closer to her. Even though she was taller than me, I stood eye-to-eye with her while in my heels. I made my voice stern. "Charlie, what did you do?"

"You know how I can make or break relationships, right?" I nodded my head, and indicated that she continue. "Well I had another reason to come here tonight- I was going to try to break your relationship with Jacob." I gasped, my hands curling into claws. I calmed myself with a shuddering breath. I was not going to attack Charlotte. Plus, her plan must not have worked- I still loved Jacob. She watched my reaction with cautious eyes, her blue eyes worried. After I had calmed myself, she continued. "That was why I was so cold when you introduced us- I was feeling the relationship between you and Jake, looking for a crack or anything I could use to break it." Her face lit up, and showed her awe. "There was nothing I could have used. Your relationship is too strong, almost as strong as any vampire bond. Hell, I think it may be stronger than mine and Matt's!!"

I exhaled, my breath coming out as a whoosh. She smiled timidly at me, and I smiled back. I knew Charlotte meant well, and now that she was a believer in my relationship, my dad would too. She saved me a hell of a lot of trouble. I showed her this and she laughed.

"Fuck yeah your dad will understand! Or else I would have to convince him!" I shuddered when I thought of Charlie trying to convince my dad of anything. Our conversation trailed off into more neutral topics as we strolled back to the house. We took a longer route, letting the house slip in and out of our vision every now and then.

I heard a noise behind me and before I could turn around, I was hit over the head. Then everything went black.

**This was a little shorter than I had wanted, but it turned out as I wanted…mostly…**

**Review plz!! **

**=D**


	19. Taken

**I own nothing! Nada! Zip!**

Jacob's POV

Emmet clapped me on the shoulder, jarring me. "I want to see you try!! No-one has beaten me in a wrestling match since forever! You're on!" his laughter resounded around the house and the forest surrounding it.

I smirked. "I have no doubt you could beat me as a human, but I wasn't planning on doing it as a human." Emmett's face darkened as the impact of words hit him. "So what about tomorrow? You free?"

"Fuck you!" Emmett scowled as he stalked off to Rosalie. I laughed, and Edward and Matt laughed with me.

"Thank you for that." Said Edward in between laughs. "I've wanted someone to beat him for sometime now. He's gotten a big head about his wrestling prowess, though he could never beat me or Jasper in a proper fight."

I looked at Edward quizzically. "What do you mean?" I could understand why Edward could beat him, but Jasper?

"Jasper has certain…expertise…when fighting vampires." Edward refused to elaborate, so I shrugged and turned to Matt.

"What about you? You want to try fighting Emmett?" Ness' brother (of a sort) threw his head back and chortled.

"Hell no! I'm still half human and very breakable compared to you super-beasts."

I was about to say something more, but was sidetracked when I saw Charlotte stumbling towards the house. She and Ness had strolled off talking earlier, and had only been gone for 15 minutes now. Matt saw Charlotte the same time I did. We both rushed to her, Matt catching her as she fell. Her make-up was streaked down her cheeks, and she was crying so hard she could not speak.

"Charlotte, where's Ness?" I demanded, my voice harsher than I wanted.

Matt glared at the tone of voice I used on his sweetheart, but repeated the question in a gentler tone. I was shaking, feeling the ancient anger and loss of control settle over me as I waited for Charlotte to say something.

"Oh shit." I heard Edward curse behind me. I spun on him, hauling him against the wall of the house.

"Where is she?" I shouted, not caring for the audience that now surrounded us. I felt Bella touch my arm soothingly, and I dropped Edward.

"She was taken. Hit over the head and taken before Charlie could do anything."

"By whom?" I asked, my voice carefully controlled.

Edward looked up at me. "By the red-haired vampire."

"Fuck it all to hell!" I shouted as I slammed my fist into the wall of the house. I heard bone shatter, and winced when my broken fingers began to heal. I stared at the hole in the wall glumly. There was no way I could track that bitch to Ness if Carlisle's theory was true. I slumped against the wall, and placed my head in my hands.

"Jake, Jake, Jake, listen to me." I heard Bella say. I ignored her. I heard her get up, but before I knew it, I was slammed against the wall, my feet dangling above the ground.

Bella smirked as she held me as if I weighed no more than a rag doll. I was secretly amazed that she was able to haul me above the ground; I was much taller than she.

"Now you listen to me, Jacob Black." she hissed. "That red-headed bitch may impossible to track, _but Ness isn't. _Got it? Now get out of your funk this instant, or God help me…"

I nodded, and she put me down. I ran behind the house to phase, Quil and Embry following.

I flung off my clothes as I began to phase.

I felt the familiar rush as I phased. My bones got bigger and heavier and my entire being shuddered as I switched from human form to wolf form. Fur sprouted from everywhere but my eyes and paws, and I landed heavily on the ground. I snarled, and felt Quil, Embry, Leah and Seth's minds join with mine. Seth was declared healed just this morning, and I knew better than to suggest that he sit this one out.

_Hell no am I sitting this out! I've been missing the action! _Said Seth in our shared intelligence. I smiled grimly, and headed for the forest.

I realized I was being followed by the other vampires, and sent a thought to Edward, telling them to stay out. I eventually heard the sound of retreat of many feet, and sighed in relief.

That bitch was mine to deal with. This was twice now that she messed with my imprint, and she will pay.

I came across the point where Ness' and Charlotte's scent were mixed together, and followed that to where Ness broke away from Charlotte.

I howled in success as I pursued Nessie's scent further into the forest.

_Don't worry, baby, I'm coming. _

**I know this one is short, but don't worry, I'm starting on the next chapter now!!**

**Review plz!! **

**I appreciate every one I get! **

**=D**


	20. Memory

**I own nothing! Nada! Zip!**

Ness' POV

I sat up, and immediately regretted it. My head was pounding, and I had to wait a few moments until the world stopped spinning. I looked around me, confused. I was lying on a bed in a small cabin, and I did not hear anything outside.

Ok, so I'm still in the forest. But where am I??

A polite cough had me jumping off of the bed, my teeth bared in a hiss. A man stood in the doorway, an amused smirk on his face. No, wait, not a man- a vampire. The red-headed wonder stood behind him, her eyes full of hostility and…guilt? What the hell is going on here?

"You may leave now Caryn." ordered the man, not even turning his head to face Caryn.

She turned to leave, hissing her displeasure. "Riley, if you harm her…"

"I will not hurt her." He assured, but his eyes said otherwise. He looked me over and seemed to approve of what he saw. Not good for me.

"Riley…"said Caryn, a warning in her voice. "I know you and you will try to hurt her. I need her." She stressed. Riley spun around and snarled at Caryn. Surprised by his strong reaction, she took a step back and Riley slammed the door in her face.

He fluidly moved next to me, and raised his hand to stroke my face, and lightly traced the scar on my neck. I shivered in fear. I recognized his intention immediately, but refused to fight. It hurt more when I fought.

This vamp had more patience than I thought he did, though. His curiosity seemed to outweigh his lust- for now.

"Hmm, so beautiful." He sighed, tracing my lips with the tip of his finger. I sat unmoving while he traced the features on my face, and then moving down to my neck, and my scar. He sat back, but his hand started tracing patterns on my arm. "What are you?" I sighed.

"I'm half vampire. My father is Aro." I said, hoping to scare him. He shrugged; the name meant nothing to him, and I realized the worst thing possible. This vampire had no idea who Aro was. Holy crap, I'm in trouble. I could only hope Jacob would find me. Then I remembered that Caryn was the one who carried me, and I despaired. No one would be able to find me. Tears ran down my cheeks.

He moved in, his face invading my field of vision, and I was suddenly assaulted by the one memory I have tried so hard to repress.

_I stood behind the door as I waited for my father to introduce me to his brothers. He had kept me as a secret from them for the first ten years of my life, and only when it became apparent that I had stopped growing, father finally decided to tell his brothers. _

"_Aro, why have you brought us a human?" I heard Marcus ask, obviously hearing my heartbeat through the door. "We have just fed, and I am no longer thirsty." I ran my hands nervously along the black silk of my dress. It was beautiful; it was low cut enough to show off the tops of my breasts, and flared at the waist. I spun a little, loving the swishing noise it made against the floor. The robe my father had me wear over it was blood red, and complimented the dress perfectly. He had me put the hood up to cover my face, but it was awkwardly placed on my hair as I had it in a bun. Two ringlets framed my face._

"_Ah, dear brother, you are mistaken. That is no human behind that door! It is my daughter!" proclaimed my father. Hearing my cue, I opened the double doors. I walked slowly to my father's side, my eyes trained on the floor. I saw three chairs in front of me, but only two were occupied. I also noticed a group of people lined along the side of the room. They all wore black and red. One stood out predominantly in my mind. He was medium height, and as all vampires are, devastatingly beautiful. His blood red eyes looked at me with the same curiosity, and I quickly averted my gaze. _

"_Aro, what have you done?" shouted Caius. _

"_Another one of my experiments." My father said off-handedly. "I mated with a human woman, gorgeous by human standards, and produced Vanessa." Hearing my name, I threw back my hood, revealing my vampiric beauty. I studied my two 'uncles' with the same detached curiosity they studied me with. Out of the corner of my eyes I could still see the man. _

_My father then had me perform a series of activities to showcase my inherited talents. Throughout the whole exercise, I kept that man in my line of sight. _

_After a full day of entertaining the vampires, I excused myself and went to my room. Marcus and Caius seemed to finally accept what I was, and decided to have children of their own. I was relieved that I would finally have people to relate to me. My door opened slowly, and the vampire I was looking at all day entered._

_His name was Demetri, and was a tracker. We spoke well into the night about everything; my past and how I was raised, and his change and his life before and after it. He claimed that my father saved him, and was forever indebted to him. He finally left, but promised to return the next day. It was he who nick-named me Ness. _

_He did return, not only that day, but the day after that, and the day after that. I fell in love with him, and I believed he felt the same way about me._

_That notion was banished the day Charlotte was born. _

_Demetri entered my room, and quickly enveloped me in an embrace. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me forcefully and with a need that I was not sure I could fulfill. I pulled back, but he instead moved his lips from my lips to my neck, trailing kisses down my neck and to my chest._

_I gently pulled away. "Demetri, stop."_

_He looked up at me, his eyes darkened with something I could not place. I shivered in fear. He misinterpreted the action, and continued. He picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. I screamed, not wanting this. It felt wrong, and this was not the Demetri I knew and loved. He forcefully covered my mouth with his, smothering my screams with his kisses. He slammed me into my bed, and pushed my skirt above my legs. I fought him, trying to detach my lips from his, hitting everywhere I could. He snarled, and lowered his lips to my ear._

"_Scream one more time, and I will snap your pretty little neck." I nodded meekly, tears brimming over. He nipped my ear, drawing blood. I gasped with the pain, and he forced my legs open._

_He thrust himself into me, bringing around a new round of pain. He was hard and fast, getting what he wanted quickly. He moaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he rocked me with his vigorous movements. _

_Much later, he left me on the bed. My mattress was soaked in blood- my blood. I cried into my pillows, wondering how I ever fell in love with such a monster. _

_The next day, I showed my father what had happened, my fear and pain, hoping he would rip Demetri to shreds and burn the pieces. Instead, he just shook his head regretfully. _

"_I'm so sorry that it had to happen to you Vanessa. However, I cannot kill Demetri- he is far too valuable to me." I ran off, crying. My father did not understand. "Go and check on Marcus' daughter! She's a beauty!" he shouted after me. _

_Demetri came to me at his own pleasure after that. My father did not approve, but allowed it to continue, convinced that if I wanted it to stop, I would make him stop. My only reprieve was caring for the beautiful Charlotte, and eventually, Matthew, Caius' son. It was only when they grew to full maturity was I finally allowed to flee Italy with them. I have never returned. _

The flashback lasted less than a second, and Riley was still moving closer to me. I knew what he was about to do to me, and wept harder. I swore I would never be powerless like that again, but yet here I was.

The door slammed open, rebounding against the wall. Caryn strode in, and ripped Riley off of me.

"The wolves are here!" she screeched. "They came for her!" she jabbed her finger in my face. My heart soared; Jake has come, he's here!

As I thought that, a massive russet wolf forced itself into the cabin, snarling. Jacob lunged for Riley but missed, leaving the door open for him to escape. Instead of pursuing him, he cornered Caryn. He lunged for her throat and she danced out of the way. I came up behind her and retained her, using all of my super human strength.

"Wait Jake!" I shouted. "Don't kill her!" the wolf looked at me quizzically, and I shook my head. I didn't have time to explain it here. I heard howls outside and knew the rest of the pack was here. I just hoped that they got Riley.

I left the cabin with Caryn in my arms. She was fighting tooth and nail to escape me, and I wondered how I could tote her all the way back to the house. Seth answered that question for me, grabbing her torso with his mouth and carrying her. It was almost comical; a huge wolf carrying a seemingly harmless girl in its jaws.

I jumped onto Jacob's back, wanting him to carry me home. I buried my face into his fur and bawled for what almost happened to me, and what had happened to me. I fell asleep to the constant pounding of paws against hard ground.

**Sorry I took so long to update, coz I know I promised you this earlier…I had work and stuff to do so I couldn't write till later. **

**And I know that its really long, but I wanted you to understand Ness a lil better :]**

**Hope you enjoyed :D**

**I want reviews! They are always the highlight of my day =]**


	21. Preparations

**Yeah I still own nothing. It all belongs to Steph. **

Bella's POV

"We followed Ness' scent until we came across a small cabin in the middle of the forest." Reported Jacob. We were in the house, all squished together in the sitting room. I snuggled with Chris, with Alice and Jasper on one side and Kate on the other. "It was surrounded by a few newborns, and the red head- Caryn." he continued, glancing at Ness. She was safely nestled in his arms, and he pecked the crown of her head.

"If the newborns were not quarreling amongst themselves, we would not have been able to sneak up on them. Caryn was trying to calm then when we attacked. I immediately went into the cabin to find Ness, and the male escaped. We captured Caryn and carried Ness home." Finished, he settled into the couch, pulling Ness on top of him.

All heads turned to Carlisle. Even though Tanya is the head of the coven here in Canada, Carlisle is the understood leader in this situation.

"I do believe we have a war on our hands." stated Carlisle solemnly. He turns to Tanya. "Are you well suited for any kind of battle here?" But she was shaking her head before he finished his sentence.

"No. We are too close to the town, plus with the tree cover here we will be setting ourselves up for an ambush. We would get slaughtered, especially because Alice cannot see around the half bloods."

Carlisle sighed, and inclined his head to Edward. "I don't know Carlisle." replied Edward to Carlisle's unspoken thought. He faced the congregation of vampires, werewolves and half bloods, and stated "Carlisle just asked me if he thinks that they will follow us to Forks. We are better equipped there for a battle, and we have the space." I stiffened in Chris' arms. Edward noticed, and inquired, "Bella? What's wrong?"

"It's too close to Charlie!" I almost screamed. "He already thinks I'm dead, so why put him in more danger because of me?"

Edward looked at me sympathetically, and Chris tightened his arms around me. Edward's eyes flickered in annoyance, but he turned his face away from me, so I could not be sure.

"I will have to speak to Caryn." He said to Carlisle. "Where is she?"

"She's in the guesthouse. Irina and Seth are guarding her." Edward nodded his head, and went to the guesthouse.

"Ok everyone. When Edward gives the signal, we would relocate to Forks." Carlisle declared, clapping his hands. He then turned to Esme and started to talk about accommodations for ten more inhabitants.

Sensing an end to the meeting, I grabbed Chris' hand and led him upstairs to me room. I wanted to do something before the battle. I heard everyone else disperse from the house, probably to do exactly what I wanted to do now.

I shoved him on the bed, my anxiety and anticipation making me aggressive. He stared at me, shocked, but guessed my intent when I started to unbutton his shirt. I straddled his waist as I lowered my lips to his. He kissed me back with fervor, but grabbed my hands as I lowered them to his jeans.

We were both breathing heavily, our faces millimeters apart. "Bella..." said Chris huskily. "Are you sure?" I nodded.

"Chris, I want to taste you, have a claim on you just in case..." I choked off the last part. He silently nodded, and caressed my lips with his. I groaned as he moved his caressing lips to my neck, and then my chest, leaving a trail of fire.

:::::::::::::

"Oh. My. God." I gasped, many hours later. "That was..." I trailed off, unable to find the right words. I grinned at Chris, and found he was grinning back.

Reluctantly, I got out of the bed and slipped my jeans back on. "C'mon, we got to go." I said as I searched for my bra. I turned to Chris to find him smirking, my bra hanging from his finger. I grabbed it, carefully dodging his swipe for my arm in the process. I laughed. "Not now!" I giggled as he chased me around the room.

He caught me around the waist and spun me in a circle, placing a kiss on the back of my neck. I tried to silence my groan as his hand slipped past my waist. I pulled away and ran to my closet and put on a tank top before Chris could get me undressed again.

Seeing his pout, I smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Let's go."

We went downstairs hand in hand, and walked leisurely to the guesthouse. I didn't hear anyone inside, and was immediately concerned.

Edward was inside, but we failed to see anyone else.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice rising an octave.

"Nothing." he replied, his golden eyes piercing mine. "You were...preoccupied...and Carlisle figured there was no reason to wait, so he and a couple others left for Forks after I found that Riley is hell- bent on seeking revenge for his mate." He stated, rolling his eyes.

"Who was his mate?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Victoria." He replied with a snort. "Jacob is with Ness, Charlie and Matt and helping them prepare, and the rest of the pack left for La Push."

"So where is Caryn?"

As I said that, she emerged from the bedroom. I hissed as I saw her, crouching into a defensive stance and Chris moved protectively in front of me.

"Calm down!" barked Edward. "Let me explain."

Caryn smirked from behind Edward's back, and I felt a pang of irrational jealousy as I realized Edward had finally found his soul mate. _So what?_ I thought vehemently. _I love Chris! Edward's my past!_ As I struggled internally, I came to the realization that I still loved Edward.

The feelings I had for him as a human were still there, but were well hidden from my ordeal after he had left. I had convinced myself so wholly that he did not want me, that I almost convinced myself that I did not want him back. As a human the plan failed miserably, but humans seemed to be more inept at lying than vampires.

I groaned on the inside. I just _had_ to realize this after I had promised myself to Chris, and right after we had a wonderful time.

Aw hell. I'm in love with two vampires.

**A/N- plz read!! Important!!**

**Hey guys!**

**I'm sure you heard about the earthquakes that hit my fellow Caribbean country, Haiti. (Yes, earth**_**quakes**_** as in plural- they got hit by two! Poor Haiti!!) My church is doing a charity drive for Haiti on Sunday, so I thought 'hey let me contribute! But how?' **

**So I figured I'll dedicate this chapter to Haiti.**

**Yeah, I know, kinda confusing right? How the hell am I supposed to dedicate a chapter to a country? Have I gone over the deep end?**

**Well the answer is yes- I have gone over the deep end, but that was a looonnnggg time ago. Anyhoo, for this dedication thing to work out just right, I have decided that for every review I get for this chapter- and this chapter alone and only till Sunday- I will donate $10 to Haiti. **

**Therefore, if I get 10 reviews, I donate $100.**

**Get it?**

**Actually, it doesn't matter if you get the method to my madness.**

**Just review!**

**Thanx! Haiti thanx u too! :p**

**xx brit02. **


	22. Vision

**Hey peeps I know I haven't written in a while but I've been busy with school and training and the only reason I'm writing now is coz of u guys coz ur awesome =] **

**Here's chapter 22!!! =D**

Bella's POV

I sat in the back seat of my car-_my car- _and scowled at the angel incarnate driving. Dammit! How the hell he wheedled me into let him drive us back to Forks is beyond me. He opened his golden eyes wide and pleaded, that's how. My scowl deepened as I saw him grab Caryn's hand and place a light kiss on the back of it, grinning.

Chris' arms wrapped around me, and he gently stroked my forehead, brushing the irate creases. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

As an answer, I glared at the back of Edward's head. Chris' chuckle rumbled through his chest as he responded, "I still can't believe you let him drive." He mumbled again, sending shivers down my spine as I recalled the last time we spoke in low whispers like this, which made me think of the bed and Chris lying on top of me-

Stop it! I ordered myself. I felt the heat wash through me, and Chris smirked. Dammit all to hell, he felt it too. Can I never get a break?

My bad mood persisted throughout the entire ride, and I was relieved when we turned into the Cullen's driveway. Edward parked in the garage next to his Volvo, and I hopped out of the car so fast I was a blur. The Cullen's came to greet us, and a feeling of calm washed through me. I glanced at Jasper gratefully.

Chris gaped at the house- it certainly was beautiful- and immediately plopped down on the couch next to Emmett to watch the World Series, or something. I rolled my eyes, and scanned the house. Nothing had changed since I had been there last, except….

I wrinkled my nose. Eww. Jacob had been here; the smell of wet dog permeated the whole place. I quickly ran outside, and came across Caryn and Edward talking in hushed tones in the garden. Embarrassed that I was intruding on a very private moment, I backed away, only to crash into Alice.

"Oh! Sorry Alice, didn't see ya there!"

She laughed her bell-like laugh, and grabbed my hand in her smaller hand. She led me away from the whispering couple until we were out of hearing distance. She spun me around and we had a little impromptu dance. Though I didn't feel like it- my feelings of clumsiness still have not disappeared, and we had no music- it raised my spirits considerably. I laughed with Alice, and she stopped as soon as she noticed I shot a worried glance in the direction Edward and Caryn were standing.

"He still loves you, you know." Startled, I took a step back. She sighed gustily, and continued. "And though you are in love"- she put air quotation marks around love- "with Chris, don't deny you still love Edward." I was instantly angry.

"What the hell do you know?" I demanded.

She shot me a glare that stopped me in my tracks. "I won't deny your feelings for Chris are strong, but they aren't as strong as your feelings for Edward. Jasper told me." She stated simply.

Miserable, I turned my back to her, and mumbled, "Yeah, I kinda, sorta, still love him, but what difference does it make? I walked away from him, convinced myself that I didn't love him any more, and now I have Chris and he has Caryn." I felt her small comforting hand on my shoulder. "Why didn't I realize it as soon as I woke up?"

"First of all, you may not have noticed it because you were too busy noticing everything else. Waking as a vampire is very distracting, and you were overwhelmed. Secondly, you and Edward were separated for a very long time which could have impacted your past feelings for him being well hidden. Thirdly, he does not have Caryn."

I spun around in shock. "What? Aren't he and Caryn infatuated with each other?"

She shook her head. "Actually, it's the most amazing thing. As children, they were best friends. Caryn never knew her mother- she disappeared after she was born- and she had to live with her father. Then Caryn's father got a job in another State, and they moved away. That was the last they saw each other. Apparently, it was James who had taken Victoria from her family after Caryn was born, and carefully monitored her family after that. He even used to visit Caryn! When Caryn had finally turned eighteen, James made the decision to turn her, but after she was turned, he left her. So she had to figure out the intricacies of the vampire world without a mentor." Her face darkened in anger. "The motherfu-"

I cut her off before she could defile the peaceful air. "Um, so that means they are just friends?"

Alice flashed a 100-Watt smile. "Yep! Isn't it cute? Best friends, separated by fate and reunited 100 years later!"

My spirits lifted. I could have Edward back! Everything would be as it should, I would be part of the Cullen family like I had always imagined….

And Chris would be left alone.

Alice noticed my shifts in expression. "What about Chris? Does he get a happy ending too?" I asked timidly, afraid of the answer.

Alice shook her head. "Not that I see." She replied solemnly. "I-" her face froze, and her eyes glazed over. Her face took on a look of horror, and she cried out "Edward!"

Edward was by her side in an instant, and he saw what she saw. "No you idiot- she can handle herself-" He mumbled. Then they both winced at the same time. Alice's eyes cleared and she looked at Edward, horrified.

I watched them both with interest- and noticed with a certain amount of satisfaction that Caryn was nowhere near- and demanded, "What did you see?" Alice started to walk off, probably looking for Jasper. "Alice? Alice!" I shouted after her.

I turned to Edward, my face betraying my worry. "Who got hurt? What happened? What did she see?"

Edward's expression told me he was far away, and I shook him. "Tell me!"

His gaze finally snapped back to my face, and he roughly grabbed my face in his. Before I could respond, he kissed me, slipping his tongue into my mouth. Before I could even register the rush of fire that coursed throughout my body and pooled in my lower stomach, he was gone.

"Edward! EDWARD!" I shouted after him. Cursing, I sprinted after him and came to the house, which looked like a the epitome of confusion and chaos. The werewolves had finally arrived- both packs- and Ness and her family stood off to the side, taking in the confusion with wide eyes.

"What's going on here?" I ordered.

**Hmm what's happening between Bella and Edward? Is it possible that old sparks can fly anew?? Keep tuned and find out!!**

**p.s. I wud just lurve some reviews- that's not from Nicigold or Rosalie Duquesne!!! Thanx ;]**

**oh and can anyone tell me wat OOC means? I c it in a few a/n and I have no idea wat it means :S**


	23. Discovered

**Hey peeps :] sorry I haven't written in a while, I have a lot of work to do- still do- so let me update quickly and get back to working ;] **

**Oh, some of you may be confused with Bella's changing feelings- hell, Bella is confused- so I'll explain real quick, k?**

**When Edward left her, she buried her feelings in her depression. She thought that he did not love her, so a small part of her mind convinced her that if he did not love her, how could she love him? When she was changed into a vamp, this part of her mind dominated her way of thinking, barring her real feelings- that she really **_**did **_**love Edward- so she left. Chris was pretty much her rebound. They are not soul mates, Bella and Edward are. Bella is only now realizing this with the appearance of Caryn, coz you know, jealousy can do that. **

**Understand now? **

**If not, just review k?? I'll answer any lingering doubts and questions you post. **

**Now, on to the story!! **

Bella's POV

"What's going on here?" I ordered.

Ness looked at me, her brown eyes wide. "I have absolutely no idea. Jake brought Charlie, Matt and I here to drop off our bags and stuff, then took us to La Push to meet his father and the other pack. Then Esme called and invited everyone over for lunch, and when we came it was like _this." _She answered, gesturing to the madhouse.

I nodded, and pushed my way past the horde of werewolves- good God, they _smelled- _to finally reach Chris. He wrapped a hand around my waist, pulling me close. I didn't have the heart to push him away. Plus, he just felt so damn familiar I couldn't help leaning into him.

I raised my lips to ear so I could whisper, "Care to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Alice had a vision." He whispered back. I rolled my eyes. No _duh, _I knew that. I was there when she had it. Wait- he didn't know that. I quelled the wave of impatience as he continued. "Apparently the dude- Riley I think his name was- was going to attack soon." I opened my eyes wide in surprise. It certainly didn't get that from what Edward said during her vision.

Edward…

Dammit, why did I have to realize I loved him and not Chris now? It's so absurdly retarded I could not believe it. My timing is just so freaking perfect.

Stupid me.

Stupid Edward.

Stupid Chris.

Stupid timing.

After my internal tirade, I turned to Chris and quietly asked, "Do you know where Edward is? I-uh-need to ask him something." I refused to meet his eyes.

"Oh yeah, he went up to his room." He replied, giving me a quick squeeze and peck on the cheek. I walked away from him, unable to believe that he would so easily trust that I would do nothing to betray his trust. Maybe it's because you insisted that Edward was your past, a small corner of my mind answered. I quickly shoved that thought aside, and opened the door to Edward's room, determined to resolve this problem between us _now. _

I slammed the door shut, and glared at Edward. He was standing in the middle of his room, a CD in his hand. He looked bemused as he casually looked at me. I strode up to him, invading his personal space.

"What the hell is going on between us?" I whispered fiercely. I didn't want anyone vampire or werewolf to overhear us. His golden eyes became troubled, and he sat on the couch in his room. I quickly followed suit.

"Bella, I do not know what happens in your mind" he gently tapped my temple, sending delicate shivers down my spine at his touch, "but I do know that my feelings for you have never changed. Even when I had to leave you for your own safety, I could not get you out of my head. I love you, Bella, and no one else. So really, I have not changed. You have."

I sighed. He's right- of course he was, he's always right- I was the problem in this equation, not him and not Chris. Dammit.

I sank back into the cushions.

"So, what does that mean? Did you finally realize I was the only one for you?" he asked, his voice mocking.

"Yes." I muttered. He leaned away from me, shocked. "When I saw you with Caryn, I was so jealous, more jealous than I should have been if we were just friends. So I started revaluating my feelings, and found a very disturbing truth- I never stopped loving you, no matter what I said to convince myself otherwise. I guess Chris was a…distraction…from me admitting these feelings, or something."

"A very serious distraction." He mumbled. I glared at him. "What? You did agree to marry the man."

"Well I do love him, just not as much I love you. And that was before this. So what now?"

"I can think of only one thing." He replied, his voice low and husky. I glanced at him and gasped at the intention in his eyes. Before I could stop him, his mouth was on mine, hungry and demanding, and I found I could not deny him, for I wanted it too.

I traced the lines of his face, and I felt his feather light fingers on my face too. I traced my hands to his shirt and quickly got rid of it, wanting to touch him, not his shirt. He gently lay me down so he was lying on top of me, and I realized my shirt was also gone. Where did it go? I wondered idly, until his small nip on my lower lip brought me back to the present. I groaned, wanting more.

His hand trailed along my spine, causing me to arch closer to him. I moaned as his hand went up and down my spine, finally resting on the latch of my bra. Before he could undo it, however, he quickly jumped away from me. Puzzled, and feeling slightly miffed and rejected, I sat up, and realized too late why Edward was looking at the doorway, a guilty look on his face.

I looked at the doorway, but knew from the all-too familiar scent who it was.

Chris.

I raised my eyes to meet his, and I sent him a pleading look, willing the explanation to jump from me to him telepathically. It didn't. He spun on his heel, leaving me alone with my guilt.

I glanced at Edward, and he met my troubled, guilt-ridden eyes with his own. "Should I go…talk to him?" I asked, unsure. He shook his head.

"Leave him be for a while. He needs to cool down. I don't understand how he snuck up on us…one minute I sensed his mind downstairs, the next second he was outside. No one moves that fast."

"He didn't move fast, he just froze time." I replied glumly, looking at what was left of my shirt. It was irreparably torn into pieces. I searched Edward's closet, looking for a suitable shirt when Alice appeared at my elbow, one of my shirts in her hand.

She smirked. "I saw you would need this. Sorry I couldn't stop Chris." She sent a reproachful look at her brother, who just shrugged as he chose a new shirt. "Oh, and Caryn wants to speak to you, k?" Not waiting for my answer, she then bounced out of the room, and I shook my head at her carefree attitude. Too bad I didn't feel like that. I trudged out of Edward's enormous closet and dropped into the couch. Edward sat next to me gingerly.

"I'm such a horrible person." I grumbled, more to myself than anyone else.

"No you are not." Edward replied, "You are just a confused person." He snaked his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, inhaling his familiar scent. We stayed like that for a while, until I decided it was finally time for me to talk to Caryn.

"I better go see what Caryn wants." Edward nodded, letting me get up, and I trudged downstairs. I looked around for Chris, but to no avail. I sighed, and headed over to the red head in the corner.

She saw me approach and indicated we go outside. We walked in silence for a while, each wrapped in her own thoughts. Mine revolved mostly around Edward and Chris, and what I was supposed to do about the two of them. I looked down at the diamond ring on my finger and sighed heavily.

She turned at my sigh, and said quietly, "You must wonder why I asked to speak to you." I nodded. For now, my curiosity buried my guilt. "I wanted you to understand the circumstances that led me to being what you see before you." I looked at her quizzically, and she sat heavily on a log. I had forgotten how quickly one could traverse into the very green, very wet forests here.

"When I was very young my mother left unexpectedly. I don't even remember her. My father sank into depression after her disappearance, drinking his worries away. When he drank, he got…violent. Most nights he would usually just scare me, throwing things at me, but always intentionally missing me. Others…he wouldn't miss." I gasped. She looked at me ruefully. "Even though he was abusive, I still loved him. He was the only family I had, and I didn't really have friends. Then Edward came along." Her eyes lit with a new hope. "He saved me, in a figurative sense. He befriended me and allowed me to see that there were other things in the world than the life I knew. I was happy. We grew up together, and he and his family became the family I never had. My father never knew about him, and Edward never knew about my father. I knew he would get all self-righteous and try to save me. " I nodded my head- he would have.

"I loved him as a brother- still do. So don't worry, I won't take him from you." She shot me a quick smile, which I returned. She did not seem to know, or realize, or even care that I was betrothed to another man. "Then my sixteenth birthday came along. I celebrated it quietly- dad bought me a small golden locket, and Edward visited me as soon as dad left for work. That night dad threw a chair at my head. I quickly dodged it, and ran from the room, crying. I ended up in the gardens behind our house, where I continued to cry. A man came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I thought it was my dad apologizing, so I turned my face into his chest and continued to cry. It was only after I had cried myself out that I realized that this man was ice cold, stone hard and smelled _amazing. _That was the first night I met James. " I widened my eyes in surprise. Who would have thought that the scary hunter I knew was so sentimental?

"After that he visited every other week. Dad caught wind of the secret meetings- funny how he realized I was meeting a man for a few weeks, and not realize I had known another boy for years- and applied for a transfer. We were out of there by the end of the week. Saying good-bye to Edward was the hardest."

"James followed us, and continued to visit me." She must have seen the skeptical look on my face for she said, "No, I didn't love him. He was another friend to me, and provided very interesting conversation."

I snorted. "I highly doubt that."

She gave a withering glance, and I swallowed my next comment. "Anyways…" she continued. "On the night of my eighteenth birthday, my dad was actually civil, and didn't throw things at me. Instead he announced that I was engaged to a man I never even heard about, and that I had better be out of his house as soon as possible, or else." She laughed humorlessly. "My father was such a fucking cunthole. But yet, I still love him." She sighed gustily. "I told James, and he offered me an alternative. If I knew he was going to just leave me, I would have never agreed. I have never seen hide or tail of him since then. I have to remember to thank Edward for killing him." She added, thoughtfully.

"I thoroughly regretted my choice…I don't want to be a monster. My talent also made me an even better huntress- I was so used to hiding and being invisible as a human, my skills got transferred as a vampire. No-one can sense my presence if I don't wish it."

I stared at her, awestruck. She had survived so much, and my respect for her grew. Finished, she looked at me, appraisingly. "Seeing my mother was the one responsible for your change"- I jumped, startled by this revelation-"I guess that makes us sisters, in a sense." I giggled.

"I guess it does." I replied. "I never had a sister before."

Caryn threw her head back and laughed. "Neither have I." We grinned at each other, and embraced.

So I had found myself a sister, in a roundabout way. Life had so many surprises!

**I just want to thank:**

**Rosalie Duquesne**

**Nicigold**

**Nichole Von Pick**

**For reviewing, coz they are the only ones who seem interested enough in reviewing. Thankies :D**

**For all the other readers of ma story: it's really not that hard to press that pretty green button below and jus write a lil 'loved it', 'hated it', or even a smiley for pete's sake! trust me, i review all the time :p  
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	24. Warmth

**I don't own anything! The characters (except Chris, Ness, Charlie and Matt) aren't mine :p the plot is tho XD**

**Enjoy!!**

Ness' POV

"C'mon Ness, let's go!" shouted Jacob from downstairs. I frantically shoved a pair of jeans into my bag and grabbed a sweater off my bed as I ran out of my room.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shouted back. "You cannot seriously tell me that Charlie is finished packing-" I continued as I rushed down the stairs and encountered a smirking Charlie, with a fully packed duffel bag next to her. I swallowed my words. "Ok, fine. I take long to pack!" I protested as I shrugged on my jacket, a scowl on my face.

Jacob laughed and looped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer so he could place a kiss on my cheek. "My little Nessie." He chuckled, nuzzling my neck. I blushed, and turned away to face the livid Gianna. She was _so _not happy with me leaving with 'the dog'.

"So, um, we are going to leave now. Bye!" I followed Charlie and Matt out of the door, my shoulders tense where I imagined Gianna's eyes boring into my back. It was only when I jumped into Edward's Volvo that I finally relaxed.

I settled into my seat, and sighed. Resting my head on the head rest, I closed my eyes and allowed my stress level to decrease. Somehow whenever we have to make a quick getaway I always got stressed. And we made a _lot _of quick getaways, thanks to Charlie and her pranks. I sighed again.

Jacob grabbed my hand and kissed my palm. I opened my eyes and smiled at him, and keeping my hand, he turned his eyes back to the road.

I craned my neck to the backseat and saw that Charlie was already nestled in Matt's arms, sleeping. Matt sent me a smile and returned his gaze to Charlie, his eyes gentle. I smiled and looked at the long stretch of road before me.

Forks, here we come.

:::::::::::::

I was awakened by a rocking motion. Opening my eyes blearily, I vaguely registered that I was being held in Jacob's arms. I turned my face into his chest, and fell back asleep in his hot embrace.

:::::::::::::

I woke up as dawn was coming over the horizon. I stared in awe as I saw the sun rise over the tree tops- through the glass wall. They had a glass wall!!

I jumped over the sleeping form of Jacob- did he really sleep at the foot of my bed?- to get to the wall. I placed my hands on the smooth glass and stared at it in wonder. Wow, these Cullens really know how to impress.

I heard Jacob stirring, and I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my waist. I leaned against him, and we watched the sun rise together. After the sun had touched the tops of the trees, he whispered in my ear.

"So, what do you want to do today?" His warm breath against my neck sent shivers down my spine. I turned in his arms so I was facing him. He leaned his head down, our foreheads touching, and gently touched his lips against mine. I sighed involuntarily, parting my lips and allowing his tongue access to my mouth. He groaned into my mouth and unwillingly pulled away.

"Ness…" he moaned my name, tracing my spine softly. I arched my back at his touch and brought our bodies closer. I gripped his broad shoulders, pulling him closer again, but he gently removed his hands from my waist and pulled my arms to my side. Stooping so he was level with me, he said my name again, more forcefully this time. "Ness, no. Not today, and not now."

I pouted, sticking my lower lip out and crossed my arms across my chest. He kissed my pouting lower lip and chuckled. "You're so cute when you pout." I stuck my tongue out at him and swatted his arm.

He walked to the bed where his t-shirt lay in a lump on the floor and shrugged it on. I watched the muscles in his back appreciatively, feeling a smile spread across my face. "So what do you want to do today?"

"Mmmm?" I asked, bringing my gaze to his face as he turned to me. He smirked, and repeated the question. "Oh. Well, I've always wanted to meet the wonderful man who raised you." A grin spread across his face, and his eyes lit up.

"I was hoping you would say that." He placed a quick kiss on my check as he was leaving the room. "Get ready quick, I want to get there before he wakes up. Should I wake up Charlie and Matt?" I nodded my head, inching my way to the bathroom. I realized what my breath _must _smell like, and I couldn't believe Jacob didn't run away from me screaming.

::::::::::::

Billy Black looked at me, a skeptical look in his dark eyes. If Jacob didn't have his arm around my shoulders, I would have turned tail and run (no pun intended). I know I'm not a coward, but the thought of impressing this man was daunting. He looked as immovable as a rock. "So you're the little lady my Jacob imprinted on?" I nodded my head mutely. Billy looked at his son appraisingly. "She's smaller than I thought she would be." He grunted. While I puzzled whether that was a compliment or an insult, Billy spun his wheelchair around and motioned we follow him. Jacob immediately strolled into his house and settled on the couch in front of the television, while Billy went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

I trailed after Jacob, gazing at the small house. I was looking at a small picture of Jacob and two identical girls on the same couch Jacob now lounged on when I heard Billy berate Jacob for being so lazy and ordered him to do the breakfast. I chuckled as Jacob groaned as he extricated himself from the couch and into the kitchen. I took his place on the couch, and idly flicked through the channels. The constant banter between father and son was more entertaining than anything I saw on the t.v., so I eventually forgot about the show and looked at the two.

I was awoken from my reverie as Charlie collapsed on the couch next to me, a scowl marring her features. Before I could ask what was wrong, she hiccupped and shot me a glare when I giggled.

"I hate hiccups!" She cried, throwing her arms into the air.

I stifled another giggle and schooled my expression into one of indifference. "Did you try drinking water upside down?" I asked, my voice serious.

"Yes-hic- I did! Ness, make them- hic- go –hic- away!" At her look of exasperated fury, I found I could not hold in my laughter. The laugh exploded from me, drawing different looks from Jake and Billy. Jake grinned, and Billy looked suspicious. I quieted my laughter until I was able to hold a straight face, but I can feel my face reddening from the effort it took to not chuckle.

Matt entered the room and shot me a questioning glance before sitting next to Charlie. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a small kiss on the lips, and hiccupped.

His look of surprise and her look of triumph had me rolling on the floor, clutching my sides. I also heard Jake and Billy chuckling, but whether they were laughing at me or with me, I didn't know.

:::::::::::

It was after we had eaten a hearty breakfast- Jacob eating more than the four of us together- did Sam and Emily visit. Before I could stop myself, I was staring at Emily's scars, even though Jake had warned me not to. I couldn't help myself, and I saw that neither could Charlie. Matt had the manners to avert his eyes.

Before I could stop her, Charlie blurted out "How did you get those scars?" Everyone in the room stopped moving, and looked at Sam cautiously. I slapped my forehead with my hand and shot Charlie an exasperated look. "What?!" She exclaimed. "I can't help it if I'm curious."

Jacob was still looking at Sam warily, but Sam didn't seem too be affected by Charlie's comment. In fact, it seemed he didn't even hear her. The phone rang once, but Jacob was so busy studying Sam's reaction- or lack thereof- he ignored the phone. Sam looked pointedly at the phone when it rang the second time, and calmly said, "You should maybe answer that."

Jacob nodded, and picked up the phone, his eyes never leaving Sam's face. Sam stared back calmly, and tired of the stare-down, stood next o Emily. He traced the scars almost reverently and kissed each one before kissing her lips. Feeling intrusive, I looked away from the personal moment and concentrated on Jake's conversation.

"Yeah sure, no problem. Them too? Ok, that'll be easy, Sam is right here. Mm-hmm. Ok, see ya later Esme." He looked at the crowd and announced, "Esme is inviting all werewolves- and Billy- to lunch."

This was greeted by whoops from the boys. Emily, Charlie and I shared a look. _Boys. _

:::::::::::::

We entered the Cullen's house, and encountered total and utter _chaos_. The Cullen's and Denali clan were all in a heated conversation, and it seemed as if Rosalie was shouting at Alice.

"Are you saying you can see _nothing?!" _she shouted at Alice. Alice had her hands on her temples, and her eyes were scrunched closed. She shook her head vehemently. I felt Jacob tense next to me, and before I could protest, Charlie, Matt and I got ordered outside.

Unwilling to argue with Alpha-Jacob, I didn't complain.

Bella ran up to me, her expression livid. "What's going on here?" She ordered, her reddish-gold eyes steely.

**Sorry it took so long to update, but I was dismayed by the lack of interest after the last chapter. But I finally got over that and wrote thissss :) hope u enjoyed it.**

**So whatcha think?? Love it? Hate it? Only like it? Tell me plz!!**

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	25. Eavesdropping

**I still don't own anything…**

**I know I haven't written in a while, but as I always say, reviews help me write faster! The more reviews I get, the faster I update! I'm not holding the story ransom for reviews (I already got rebuked for doing that lol) I'm just saying that if you want me to write faster, reviewwww please ;]**

**Oh! I'm thinking of maybe adding a sequel, which would concentrate on Jacob and **_**my **_**Ness, and develop Charlie and Matt's characters more. Should I? Especially coz I'm almost finished with this fic…I estimate I should be done with this one in three or four more chapters. So please tell me what you think! Should I do the sequel or not? **

Ness POV

After I had explained to Bella my limited knowledge of the situation, she rushed off at vampire speed to Chris. Her face creased and then she rushed upstairs. Finally my curiosity got the better of me and I stalked up to Jacob.

Looping my arm through his, I went up onto my tiptoes to whisper, "Hey, wanna tell me what's happening? Everyone looks so tense."

Barely moving his head to face me, he answered, "Apparently Alice saw the vamps attacking. Problem is, she's not even sure when or where. All she knows is that they have finally decided to attack."

I looked over to Alice and saw Jasper rubbing her back as she was stooped over, holding her head in her hands. Her forehead was wrinkled in concentration and her eyes were squeezed shut. She looked like she had a headache, but I know that vampires do not get headaches.

"Maybe it's because the werewolves are going to be in the battle too." I replied, still whispering. Tilting my head so I could look at his face, I continued, "You _are _planning on fighting?" Realization dawned on his face.

"Of course!" He growled, slapping his fist into his palm, jarring my arm. "Alice cannot see past us half-breeds!" He strode off to Alice, leaving me to follow at a trot.

"Alice!" Jacob's voice came out like a bark, causing Alice's head to snap up. Her eyes would be blood shot, if it were possible.

"What do you want, dog?" Jasper answered, raising his cold golden eyes to Jacob's dark ones.

Jacob straightened to his full height- which was _tall- _and towered over Jasper. "I may have figured out why Alice can't see anything." He answered, keeping eye contact with Jasper. I shivered at the intense atmosphere but stood steadfastly at Jacob's side. "She can't see half breeds, am I right?"

Jasper looked startled, then his eyes also widened as he processed what Jacob said. I rolled my eyes. _Boys are so dense. _

We all looked at Alice, and saw that her face was screwed in concentration. A smile broke across her face, and she announced triumphantly "I know when they are going to attack!"

The tense atmosphere decreased immensely as everyone sighed in unison. It had bothered them that their one ace- their fortuneteller- was actually useless in this situation. _Father would love to have her, _I thought as I studied her. She was beaming, her sunny smile once again in place. Jasper had an arm around her, and Carlisle and Esme were talking to her animatedly about her revelation. I shook my head. _No way would she ever work with him when she has all this love here, _I thought regretfully. Dad wanted me to convince her and Edward to join the Volturi, but now I knew them better I highly doubt they would ever work for father willingly.

"-and once I focused on Riley, I was able to see what his intentions were. I was so busy concentrating on the battle that I could not see because of the werewolves, I almost gave myself a headache!" Alice's voice chirped, drawing my attention to her. Jacob sidled behind me and wrapped his arms around my midriff. I was comfortable in his embrace, and I closed my eyes as I listened to Alice's vision.

My eyes snapped open as Alice's excited monologue was cut off with a small, "Oh my." I looked at Alice and saw her gaze trained on the place where Chris used to be. Before I could feel puzzled, I saw him at the bottom of the stairs, his face contorted in anger. Alice winced, and slipped out of Jasper's arms. She then sped off upstairs.

I turned in Jacob's arms. "What just happened?"

He shook his head in bewilderment, and smiled at my own confused expression. He gave me a small kiss and stated simply, "Well whatever it was, it's none of our business. C'mon, let's go sit."

He led me to the couch and settled into it, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture. I sighed and sat on his lap, leaning into his chest. He stroked my hair gently and sighed into my hair as he leaned his head onto mine. Alice appeared a few minutes later and took the sulking Chris outside. Instantly curious, I started to fidget in Jacob's hold. I wanted to get outside and hear what they were saying- I _needed _to know what was happening!

Jacob chuckled at my nosiness and kissed my forehead like he would a small child. "Ok, fine go eavesdrop. I know you want to- just don't get caught!" I grinned; as if I would ever get caught!

I snuck around the house until I could vaguely make out what Alice was telling Chris. Straining my ears, and using my supernatural powers to the fullest, I could faintly hear them. "-I know what you saw up there looked bad, but you need to understand." Ok, that was Alice. But what did Chris see?

"Understand what? That Bella was always planning on cheating on me? That she was always planning on going off with her ex, who she insisted _she didn't love anymore?" _I winced. Oh, so _that's _what he saw. Not a good way to find out.

"Chris, Chris, listen to me. She didn't realize until today. _Today. _And do you know what her first question was after she admitted the truth? 'Does he get a happy ending too?' Even though she has finally realized she's always been in love with Edward, she still loves you. You cannot blame her for finding her soul mate."

"I thought she was supposed to be _my _soul mate!" Chris' explosion had me take a step back, and I wasn't even on the receiving end of his anger. I felt sorry for Alice.

"And does her change of feelings change your feelings for her in any way?" Alice retorted. A stony silence ensued. "I thought not. I didn't bring you out here because I wanted to defend Bella- she's not usually flighty in her feelings, so this is very hard on her and you could be nicer. I brought you out here so I could tell you about my vision." My ears perked up. Now _this_ was interesting. "When I was talking to Bella about her changing feelings, and she asked about your happy ending, I started to automatically shift through the future to see yours. All I came across was blackness, darkness."

She paused, and when she next spoke her voice was uncharacteristically shaken. "It is not often I see another's death. Though I got used to it when looking out for Bella- she was a magnet for danger as a human- I never got used to seeing a vampire dying."

Another pause, and the tension got so heavy that I started to feel claustrophobic.

"Are you saying that I will die in this battle?"

I gasped, and clapped a hand over my mouth. Holding my breath, I listened to the sounds around me but Chris and Alice seemed so wrapped in their conversation they didn't hear me.

"Yes. Protecting Bella." Alice answered, sounding mournful. "Is there anything you might want to tell me?"

Chris sighed. "I'm surprised you and Edward have not figured it out already, honestly. I'm weak, brittle. The more I use my powers, the more brittle I get, and easier to kill. I suppose it's because of the nature of my power- doing something that so defied nature must have its consequences, eh? So, I, um, I'm going to go inside." Chris' tone was light-hearted, but it was forced. Alice and I could both tell.

It must be hard trying to accept your impeding demise when you sacrifice your life for a woman who chose her ex over you. It must suck, big time. I actually admire Chris for making light of the situation, trying to brush it off.

Wait, did he say he was going _inside? _Oh crap, he would pass right by me! I shot up from my spot and ran- straight into Chris. He looked down at me, bemused. "Hey there, you little busybody. Whatcha doing here?" His tone did not betray his conflicting emotions, but his eyes did. I backed away from him, and bumped into Alice.

She sent me a cheery smile, and I gave her a half-hearted one in return. "Did you think I did not see when you decided to spy on us? If you had just asked to come and join in on the conversation, I would have let you. It's not like everyone won't find out the truth soon enough- at least the truth about Bella and Edward, that is. It's up to Chris if he wants to tell anyone good-bye."

"Wait!" I spun on my heel to face Chris. "You're still going to go through it? You're still going to fight, and die?!"

His golden eyes were solemn as he answered. "The future is not set into stone. Yes, I will still fight as the future of this coven and my own depend on it. Not only that, but the woman I love is going to be in grave danger that even her precious Edward cannot save her from. If that means that I have to sacrifice my life, then so be it." His eyes were hardened in resolve, and the wind ruffled his black hair.

He then strode into the house, his back tense. Even though he did not want to admit it, he was shaken to his core. I stared after him in shock, and I totally forgot Alice was standing next to me. "He's terribly brave." She sighed. "I feel sorry for him, especially seeing what Bella's going to do to him now." She pointed a well manicured finger in his direction, and I saw Bella approach him. Her face was withdrawn, and full of regret. Everyone's eyes in the room were trained on them, interest oozing out of their pores.

What startled me was not Bella herself, but the girl at her elbow. Caryn stood next to Bella, gripping her shoulder in a supportive stance. _What the hell happened there? _I felt resentment rise in my body- this woman was the cause for the new scar on my neck and for forcing me to revisit painful memories, memories I thought I had successfully hidden. Alice placed a soothing hand on my shoulder.

With conscious effort- Caryn had explained herself, and proved herself genuine in her intentions- I dragged my eyes back to the scene unfolding before me.

Bella said nothing to Chris, but instead had simply taken her engagement ring off her finger. She placed it in Chris' hand, and raised her eyes to his. He stonily returned her gaze and she cringed. She turned away from him, and Caryn draped an arm around her shoulders, leading her away from Chris. Chris' expression softened and he took a half step in her direction, but raised his reaching hand to his hair, brushing it back in frustration. Stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, he ambled away from the congregation of stunned people.

My eyes could not leave his retreating back, pity welling in my heart.

**Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it? **

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	26. War

**Hey everybody!! =]**

**I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been away for a water polo tournament in both Cuba AND Jamaica O.o for anyone curious to know, my team won gold both times :] so yeah I've been away fro 11 days, and then I've been spending the last 2 weeks writing new chapters for all my stories, both on fanfic and fic press. That's a total of 7 (yes I said SEVEN) chapters. I've also gone to check out universities and that took away writing time. So yeah, it's not like I abandoned you…I just haven't had time! **

**HOWEVER this would be the last chapter you see from me in a while. I have exams starting in a couple of weeks, and I won't go anywhere near a computer till June 10****th****. (That's the day of my last exam.) After that, I could write to my heart's content :) That's why I was pushing to finish new chapters for all my stories- so I could release them all at once, almost like a big 'bang' before I leave you for a month and a bit :'( **

**Ok, I'm boring you…onto the story! And don't forget to review!!! ;]**

Bella's POV

Caryn and I walked back to the house, our arms linked. After hearing her story, I was glad to know her a little better. She actually wasn't so bad, once I got to know her. Plus I didn't feel jealous that she and Edward were best friends 100 years ago.

Or at least, I tried not to be.

There was one thing left for me to do, and I was dreading doing it. I knew I had to end whatever Chris and I had, and I was _not _looking forward to it. I knew what it was like having my heart broken, and I didn't like it. This was worse, because his heart was already broken from what I had done to him, and it made me miserable. My mood darkened as we got closer to the house, and Caryn sensed me falling into depression. I was sure by now the whole house had learned of my scandalous behavior, and my mood just got even darker. By the time we reached the house, I was practically being led by Caryn. My eyes were trained on the floor, absorbing every detail in the dirt and grass. I really did not want to meet anybody's eyes now, and see their disgust and disappointment.

I tentatively looked up and saw the one person I was hoping to avoid: Chris. I quickly scanned the room and noticed everyone's eyes were trained on us. Their gazes were not disapproving as I feared, but merely inquisitive. I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. I was going to see this through to the end even if I died of embarrassment.

I moved to Chris' side, and I felt Caryn move from my side so that she stood behind me. She clasped her hand on my shoulder and I took a deep breath. I wanted to keep this simple and break it off cleanly, and without any misunderstandings. There were enough of those going around. Misunderstandings, I mean.

I slipped the beautiful ring off of my left ring finger, and weighed it in my hand. I glanced at it one last time and admired how the sunlight streamed through the facets in the diamond before placing it in Chris' hand. I looked up into his golden eyes, and immediately regretted it. His golden eyes, which formerly held so much love for me, now held resentment and hate. I flinched away and turned around, unable to look into his eyes anymore. Caryn placed her arm around my shoulders and led me away from my former love.

She led me up the stairs to a room so familiar to me I could name every CD on the wall. Edward's room. He was still in there, lounging on the couch. To anyone who happened to pass by he seemed to be relaxing and reading his book, but I recognised the tightness in his jaw that indicated that he knew what happened downstairs. I instantly went to his side and slipped under his arm, relaxing in his embrace. I buried my face in his chest, willing the tears to come, even though I knew they never would. Caryn sat on my other side and gave me a half-hug. My shoulders trembled and shuddered as if I were crying, but we all knew vampires were incapable of producing tears or any other bodily fluid. I took a deep breath in an attempt to steady myself, and sat up. I looked into Edward's calm amber eyes, seeing understanding and an unconditional love for me. He lowered his head so our foreheads were touching, the tips of our noses brushing against each other. I shivered in anticipation, momentarily forgetting Caryn was in the same room. Edwards smiled gently and kissed the tip of my nose before leaning away, his arm still around my shoulders.

Caryn seemed to realise that we wanted to be alone, so she quietly got up and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"I feel so horrible." I murmured. Edward stroked my hair and linked my hand with his. He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, especially the ring finger. His face was contemplative, and I knew what direction his thoughts were taking him. "Edward, no. Not yet. I may lose you anyday now, and I don't want to hurt Chris anymore. Seeing me engaged to you after just breaking off out own engagement...it'll crush him even more."

Edward sighed ruefully an gave me that crooked smile I loved so much, but his eyes were guarded, almost as if he was trying to hide something from me. "I can't help but hope." He whispered into my ear, making me smile wistfully.

"One day."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm yours Edward, even when I didn't know it. So...in the future. Just not now."

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, just listening to his steady breathing. He wrapped his arms around me as if I were a baby and rocked me gently. We sat there contently until Edward stiffened.

"What happened?" I asked, immediately concerned.

"Alice had another vision." He replied tersely, gently removing me from his lap to the floor and taking my hand as he led me downstairs. My mind was reeling- what could have Alice seen this time?

When we came downstairs we saw that Alice stood in the living room, her eyes wide and unseeing. Her hands twitched at her side and Jasper was holding her shoulders, glaring at anyone who dared to come too close. Jacob was the only one who seemed ready to pounce on Alice as soon as she came out of the vision, but Ness was holding his arm in a restraining manner. I noticed the Denali clan standing off to the side, Chris a shadow behind them. His gaze snapped to mine, and his golden eyes melted with hurt. Then he hardened his gaze and clenched his jaw, looking away from me to Alice. I looked at Alice as well, a lump forming in my throat.

With a gasp Alice's eyes refocused. She looked at all of us and announed, "It is time. They will be coming tomorow evening."

The room then erupted into a mass of noise and confusion, everyone shouting questions.

"How many?"

"What time?"

"How do you know it is tomorrow, and not next week or next month?"

The only ones who were quiet were Carlisle, Edward and myself.

Alice shook her head, her black hair flipping around. "I know it is tomorrow because I saw Riley announce to his newborns that they will come to us at that time."

"Bring it!" Yelled Emmett, a grin spreading across his features. Rosalie slapped his arm, and he winced slightly. Jasper was shaking his head in annoyance, a frown marring his features.

"No, we would have to take it to them. They have advantage of numbers, but we have knowledge of this area. We have to use it to our advantage. Would he attack the house?" He directed the question to Alice, who nodded. He sighed and ran his hands through his dirty blonde hair. "Would they follow our scent to a place of our choosing?"

Alice's eyes glazed over for a second, but she then shook her head. "No, they will suspect a trap and regroup, plan for another time." Jasper nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Do they know the Denali clan is with us?"

"Doubtful." Replied Alice with a frown.

"They don't. Riley expected the Cullens to give up when he took Ness, but you took her back. He never took the Denali clan into consideration, so he would only be planning for the five Cullens and Bella." Answered Caryn, her hair flaming behind her. Her eyes burned with hate for her former companion, and I shivered.

Jasper sighed again, and I could practically see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to figure a way out of this problem.

"How about a decoy?" Asked Jacob, his face serious. "Caryn-" He growled her name, and I cringed. He still hasn't forgiven her for taking Ness. "said that Riley only expects the Cullens. How about the Cullens stay here, and lead them to a place of out choosing? In the heat of battle, Riley won't be able to regroup or retreat; just follow."

Jasper looked surprised that Jacob actually had a brain in his head. Heck, I was also surprised at the sheer brillance and simplicity of his plan, but I made sure Jake didn't see it.

"The mutt has a point." Rosalie looked like she was about to puke. Jacob flashed her a white toothed grin, but turned all seriousness agian.

"While the Cullens lead the new borns to wherever, Sam and my pack could wait for them along the way, pick them off one by one."

Jasper shook his head. "Your scent is too distinctive, Riley would suspect a trap and retreat. No, let the Denali clan lie in wait and pluck them off and your packs could wait at our predetermined place."

"Fine, where do you want us to go?"

Jasper glanced at Carlisle, and they both annouced at the same time, "Baseball field."

"What about me?" Asked Ness, concern laced into her tone. "Where would I be?"

Jacob gently cradled her face in his large hands and kissed her sweetly. "You will be as far away as I could possibly take you. Maybe by my dad's. You, Charlie and Matt." She opened her mouth to protest, but Jacob silenced her with another kiss. I looked away, slightly embarassed by the amount of affection Jacob was showing for his imprint in public. "No buts, I want you safe."

"What about you?" She whispered, her voice ragged. Thanks to my extra sensory hearing, I could still hear her. "I want you to be safe too, but do I get to hide you? No! You just get to charge out there into the thick of danger and I would be at your dad's, worried sick."

Jacob's face softened, and he stroked Ness' face with his thumb. "Don't worry, Ness." She snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Of course I'll worry, you big oaf."

"Hey, if you get lucky the Cullens and Denali would have finished off most of the new borns so I won't have any action."

"Ha, as if you won't go off looking for action."

Jacob smiled, and said ruefully, "Could you just believe me a litle? I'm trying to make you feel better, and you're making it harder." Ness' chin trembled and she threw herself into Jacob's arms. I felt a tug at my elbow, and saw Edward trying to lead me away from the private scene. With a start I realised that Edward, Jacob, Ness and I were the only ones left in the room. I obediently followed Edward outside, glad to give Jacob and Ness their private time.

Edward threw an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. I snuggled into his chest, and sighed softly. "I guess there is no chance that I can persuade you to stay at Billy's tomorrow too?" Asked Edward lightheartedly.

"Not on your life." I answered darkly.

He chuckled and kissed the crown of my head. "Thought not." We then fell into a contemplative silence as we both wondered what tomorrow would bring.

**Hey and sorry it's so short...But the story is wrapping up, and I've lost enthusiasm for the story. So naturally, I won't write as much nor as often. But hopefully it's only a couple more chapters :)**

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	27. The Battle and the Sacrifice

**Ok, seeing that I have absolutely NO self-discipline what so ever, I have started writing again. Sigh. I can't seem to say no!! haha **

**So here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy :) **

**Oh yeah, I don't own anything…**

Bella's POV

I stared at the setting sun and wondered if I would see it rise again. Jacob had taken Nessie and her siblings as well as Esme to the rez, allowing Esme a one time sanctuary there, despite the contract. Even though Sam and Paul didn't much like it, they knew it was necessary- Esme would only be a liability in the upcoming battle.

Nessie had complained bitterly, hating that she may never see Jake again…

I shook my head to clear it from these depressing thoughts. That was yesterday, and today was the day- the day Riley was supposed to attack. However, the whole day has passed with all of us on edge, and Riley had not shown up. Not once. I could tell Jacob was getting anxious, because he would continually start shifting from foot to foot and glancing in the general direction of the rez. He had volunteered to stay with us, because he knew that we may need him. Plus with his little handy wolf-to-wolf mental connection thingie, he could better alert the packs of when Riley attacked.

Which he had yet to do.

I sighed audibly, and Jacob turned his head in my direction. His face was lined with anxiety, and a frown marred his features. I walked up to him and gently smoothed out the frown, saying gently, "Ness will be fine, now stop before you give yourself an aneurysm." He gave me a small smile in return, but the frown returned soon after. I sighed again- there was nothing I could do anymore.

I left Jake to his thoughts and went in search of Edward when my extra-sensory ears picked up on a sound that was just _off. _I cautiously turned my head in the direction of the noise and froze as I saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring at me from the trees. I found myself unable to move or do _anything _as more eyes appeared, soon followed by faces then bodies of otherworldly gorgeous people. Vampires.

Thee one in front- who I assumed was Riley from Caryn's description of him- gave me a predatory smile. The wind ruffled hiss blonde hair a little and I shivered, but not with the cold.

"Let the fun begin." His voice was no more than a whisper, but his followers heard him. They ran straight past me to the house, and I found myself still unable to break my gaze from Riley's red one. This was my worst nightmare- even as a vampire, I was still useless. Weak. _Human. _I growled, the sound low and guttural, as I took a step forward. Ready to lunge. Riley _tsk_-ed at me, shaking his head as if in disappointment.

Unable to keep a hold on my rising blood lust any longer, I launched myself at the man before, want and needing to rip him limb from limb. He was here to kill my family and those who I cared about most, just so he could avenge the death of a psycho maniac. He neatly side stepped my lunge, and I skidded to a stop. I curled my hands into claws, and lunged at him again, wanting to rip that smirk off of his face. Right as I was about to collide into him, he raised his hand and grabbed my throat, holding me in mid-air. My hands scraped at his, leaving deep lacerations in his pale alabaster arms, but he seemed unconcerned. He cocked his head to the side and watched me as if I were a curious specimen he couldn't wait to smash under his heel. A slow grim spread across his face as he raised his other hand over my head and pulled on my hair, earning him a slight whimper.

I despaired. I could hear the battle raging around me and I knew no one would be able to save me. Not Edward, or Jacob, or Chris…

Somehow someone managed to start a fire around the house, and the flames burned and tickled my skin in an unpleasant manner. Riley's grip on my hair grew tighter and I screamed as he yanked with more force. Another one like that may wrench my head off my shoulders, and I did _not _want to find out what happens when your head is no longer attached to your body. I kicked wildly, and my right foot connected with something soft. Riley yelled in pain, and I hoped that I hit him in his manly spot. Concentrating, I kicked in the same area and Riley released me as he doubled over in pain. I sent a kick at his head, and his head jerked backwards. Rubbing a hand on his jaw, Riley sent me a glare that sent chills down my spine.

Instead of giving into my fear, I instead brought my hands up to my eye level as I saw martial artists do in movies and crouched, ready to kick him if he ran at me. He copied my stance and before I could react, sent me a right hook that sent me sprawling on the ground. I tried to push myself up but Riley straddled my back and pulled my head backwards. "No one can save you now, you little bitch." He hissed in my ear.

Laughing maniacally, he continued to pull on my head and I swear I heard my head being removed from my body.

The pressure was lessened totally when something- or some_one- _crashed into Riley. I flipped so I was on my back and saw that Chris and Riley were wrestling on the ground. I wrapped my arms around me, instantly worried. Chris was not a fighter! He and I both knew that in a purely physical test of skills, Chris would always lose. He was not as big or experienced as the other guys at fighting, and he was prone to more diplomatic solutions than raw violence when it came to disagreements.

Riley gained the upper hand, rolling so he was on top of Chris. Chris sent me a look that was strangely peaceful, and his eyes seemed to tell me, _It's ok. I wanted this, so don't beat yourself up about it. I love you. _Riley then started to yank Chris' head from side to side and I heard a sickening crunch as his neck was broken. I covered my mouth with my hands and collapsed on the floor.

_No. _

Riley then placed both his hands on either side of Chris' face, almost as if he were cradling it, and pulled. With a nauseating _pop, _Chris' head rolled from his body on the floor. Riley picked it up and hurled it into the fire, and I stared at Chris' body numbly. It was still twitching, but Riley made short use of it, ripping it to pieces and throwing them all into the fire. Within seconds, Chris was no more.

_No. _

Red flooded my vision and venom pooled in my mouth. While Riley was smugly surveying the battle, seemingly forgetting about me, I threw myself at him. I no longer cared if I lived or died, I just wanted him dead. Nothing mattered any more.

Riley's mouth opened into a small 'O' when I grabbed his left arm and pulled it out of its socket and chucked it into the fire. I gave him a grim smile and punched him across his face, causing his head to whip around. Before I could lose my momentum, I did the same thing he did to Chris; I cradled his face in my hands and with every ounce of strength in my entire being I _pulled. _Riley's right arm punched me in the gut, but I refused to let go, and I continued to pull, and pull, and pull.

With a final yank, the resistance that Riley's neck was providing fell away and Riley's body collapsed on the floor. I stared at the object in my hands in disgust and hurled it into the fire around me. The last thing I saw of Riley's face was a look of pure hatred.

I stared at the crumpled heap on the floor, and I felt to puke. Knowing what I had to do, I quickly disassembled Riley's body, methodically throwing the body parts into the ever increasing fire around me.

It was only after I threw Riley's last body part into the fire did I hear his voice.

"Bella!"

I almost sobbed in relief when I saw Edward running to me, his arms outstretched. I collapsed into his arms and buried my face into his chest. I never wanted to do that ever again.

"Shh Bella, it's ok. I'm here, the fight is over. We can go home now."

I stared at him blankly. Home? The Cullen's house was now burning to the ground, and I never wanted to return to the Denali's house after…this.

He gave me a small smile and shook his head, refusing to answer. His eyes, however, were guarded as if he was afraid to express to much emotion or he would crack.

"Are you alright? Unharmed?"

I nodded my head. My neck was a little sore, but I figured that it would fade in time. My grief wouldn't.

"Chris…he's dead." I choked out.

"I know."

"What? How did you know?"

Edward sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do we have to discuss this now?"

I crossed my hands across my chest and glared at him. "Yes, I am not going anywhere until you tell me."

He sighed and rubbed my arms. "Alice had a vision that he will die trying to protect you in this battle."

"And you didn't tell him? Stop him?" I screeched.

"We tried, but he was adamant. He wanted to fight for those he loved."

I was speechless. "And you didn't tell me?" I added in a small voice.

Edward placed a kiss on my forehead. "I'm sorry, love. I wanted to but I knew better than to tell you. If I did you would have been difficult and I would have had to worry about you more."

"More?"

His mouth quirked into my favorite crooked smile. "I knew you could handle yourself…mostly. But if you knew Chris was going to sacrifice himself, I would have had to look out for you and myself…as well as keep and ear out for the rest of the battle." I looked down, ashamed. He was right- if I knew Chris was willing to sacrifice himself I would have not let him. I would have died so that Chris wouldn't have had to forfeit his life for me.

I curled into his chest, wanting only to cry and release my grief, but I knew here wasn't the place or time. I had to leave this fiery hell hole, and any remnants of Chris.

I wanted to forget all about him, so I wouldn't hurt so much.

Edward led me deftly out of the circle of fire, managing to get us out unscathed. He sent one last wistful look at his home before urging me to run in a direction. Numb, I followed the direction he was pointing in and just ran, allowing myself to get aught up in the motions of my arms and the pounding of my feet on the cold, unrelenting ground.

All my memories of Chris and I floated into my consciousness, but I discarded each and every one of them. They sent a pang of guilt and remorse each time, and my heart got heavier and heavier. My feet started to slow down, and I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up and sling me onto a familiar back. I wrapped my legs around Edward's waist and buried my face into his shoulder, and allowed myself to grieve.

**Ok, so maybe only two more chapters after this :D**

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	28. Repercussions

**Ok, so I'm gonna write and post my last three chapters now, so I can get it over and done with. Needless to say, I was very disappointed by the lack of response I got for this story, but I'm over it. Even though people didn't really like it, I enjoyed writing it. The remainder chapters are written in Bella's POV, k?**

**P.s. I'm now older than Edward and I'm not being so whiny about it! Take THAT Bella! Hahahahah :p**

**And it would please me if you left a review :) **

I buried my face into Edward's back and allowed the steadiness of his breathing and the pounding of his feet lull me into a half-conscious state. I allowed my mind to go blank so I could forget the past hour or so. I didn't want to remember Chris' face when he died, when he sacrificed himself for me.

I didn't deserve his love, and I didn't deserve to live instead of him.

I felt Edward slow down to a walk, and I looked over his shoulder to see house. It was painted white and was Victorian style, but the whole bottom floor was glass. It had Esme written all over it; she had a thing for glass, white, and old buildings. The splashes of color inside hinted at Alice's influence, and the large big screen T.V just shouted Emmett. I saw a great library and the corner of a grand piano in it, and I knew that it must be Edwards and Carlisle's 'place'. I was unsure what could be Rosalie's sway on the whole house, and as we got closer, I saw the large garage hidden at the side, and then I knew where her impact was-in the garage. Rosalie had a thing for mechanics and cars. The only one who I didn't see any thing that stood for him was Jasper. If anything, he was the one I knew least about. As a human he stayed far away from me, and I him, and after the incident on my eighteenth birthday, we weren't exactly on speaking terms.

As soon as Edward stepped onto the wraparound porch, I slid off his back. I noticed that his face was tight, and I knew that the last battle couldn't have been too easy on him. I grabbed his hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, and smiled at him. He smiled tersely in response, but it never reached his eyes. That's how I knew the situation was _bad. _

"Edward, before we go inside, please tell me what's wrong." I whispered. I didn't know who was inside, but I didn't want them to hear any bad news they weren't supposed to.

Edward took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bella…"

"No, Edward don't start with me. The last time you didn't tell me something, it ended up with Chris dying unnecessarily." My breath hitched when I mentioned his name, but I continued. "We could have prevented his death, _if you had just told me. _So please, just tell me now."

Edward's eyes met mine, and after a tense moment he nodded. "Not everybody made it." I nodded; I expected this, even though I hoped fervently that we could have come out of this with no causalities. The question was _who_. After measuring how well I would take his news, Edward continued, his voice breaking. "Esme came into the battle. Ness couldn't stop her from leaving the rez, and chased after her, Charlie and Matt following. When Esme reached the battle, a new born ambushed her, and Charlie tried to help. She was too late." He gasped out, and I wrapped my arms around him. He leaned his head onto my shoulder and squeezed me tightly against him as he dry sobbed, the hollow sounds breaking my heart more than any other sound I have ever heard. When he had got himself under control, he leaned slightly away from me so he could look me in the eyes. His hands never left my waist, and I let my hands rest on his shoulders.

"Who else?" I asked, even though I was loathe to hear the answer. Esme was bad enough, and it would be cruel if other people perished. But this was a war, and in war people died.

"Charlie. She tried to attack the new born after...but the new born overpowered her. Ness and Matt were too late." I was stunned. If it was one person I would have thought infallible, it would have been Charlie. She had a very strong personality, and I knew she would be one to put up a fight-and _win. _"Emmett and Jasper are both wounded, but we heal quickly. Rosalie is beside her self with worry, and is now alternating between coddling Emmett and whacking him for being so stupid. Alice knows Jasper will be fine, so the two of them are caring after Carlisle. He isn't at his best."

"The wolves?"

"They are very unsatisfied. They wanted to fight, and barely any new borns fell into their ambush. When some saw you kill Riley, they either fled or gave up." He smiled at me, and this time I knew it was a genuine smile. He kissed my forehead tenderly and I closed my eyes as I leaned into his embrace. I felt so safe right there, and I knew I had finally found the place I belonged.

"Shall we go in?"

I nodded. I wanted to see Carlisle and Matt, and I wanted to comfort both of them. I wasn't sure how I would do it, but I wanted to. The three of us now had something in common-we had lost someone we loved.

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	29. Grief and Guilt

I hugged myself, trying to fight off the chill that had nothing to do with the low temperature. I wasn't sure if I could take it any longer. The atmosphere inside was so depressing, understandably. The only wolf in the whole house was Jake, and he was so busy trying to comfort Ness. She had only just drifted into a fitful sleep, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Matt was resembling a comatose patient; he just stared at the wall blankly and his eyes didn't register anything.

Yet, these reactions weren't as bad as Carlisle.

The man I expected to be the calmest in the face of tragedy was the only one who seemed to have cracked fully. When Edward and I walked in on him, he was frothing at the mouth and Alice and Jasper were forcibly holding him down. When I looked into his eyes, they were crazed and far from reason. They only reflected his great loss and grief. I had looked at Alice, feeling helpless. Edward immediately took Jasper's place, and Jasper wearily sagged against the wall. It was only then that I noticed his injury-his arm was dangling at his side uselessly as if it had been slashed of and only recently rejoined.

I went to Alice's side and helped her restrain Carlisle. There was nothing else I could do.

That was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Carlisle begged to die, he threatened and he groveled. I had never seen him reduced to that level, and I hated it. I hated that Carlisle wished for death so badly he would beg and refuse to listen to reason-that Esme would have wanted him to live and not die. Soon after Edward and I arrived, Rosalie and Emmett had entered and they took over for Alice, while she and Jasper went outside. There was only so much of seeing Carlisle like that that anyone could take. I had only just been relieved by Caryn, and I gladly allowed her to take over. Even though Jacob offered to take over for Edward, he had refused. He wanted to be with Carlisle.

"Let me go! I want to die, can't you understand that? I have no reason to live, please, just let me die…"

I shuddered as I heard Carlisle's screams. Covering my ears with my hands, I walked further away from the house. It was only when I couldn't hear anything except my own footsteps and the regular sounds of nature did I finally stop. I leaned against a tree and slid down so I was sitting on the ground. I bent my knees and propped my chin on my knees, and hugged my legs. I rocked myself back and forth, willing myself to cry, to sob and rant and rave at the world for the sheer injustice of it all.

Two men had been robbed of their soul mates in one bloody battle. What was the justice in that? They were both good men who deserved nothing more but to live happy lives with those they loved.

Like Chris.

He was worthy of living the life of a king; he was anything a girl could want. He was sweet, caring, kind, understanding...and he didn't deserve what he had gotten-me, who never really loved him in the first place when he had fallen so hard for me, and dying because he wanted to sacrifice himself so I could live.

I didn't want to live with the knowledge that Chris had knowingly and willingly sacrificed himself for me.

Why? What did I do right to deserve that? I wish someone would tell me, because I know that I treated Chris worse than he was ever entitled to.

_The least you could do, _I thought spitefully to whatever God was listening to me, _is allow me to cry. Let tears fall freely from my eyes; let me produce something other than venom. Please. _

And as if by a miracle, tears _did _fall from my eyes. I touched my face with my hand, and I almost laughed when I saw wetness there.

"Bella?" Edward's voice pierced the darkness.

"I'm here." My voice was oddly calm. Edward emerged from where I had come from, and he was studying me warily, as if he was afraid to approach me.

"Bella, what are you doing in the rain?" I looked at him, puzzled, and looked up at the sky to see dark grey storm clouds. So I wan't crying; the world was crying for me.

I gasped, and I felt a pair of arms envelop me. I only realized then that my breathing was rapid and irregular, as if I were sobbing.

"Shh, Bella. Carlisle has finally calmed down, and he is alright. He would survive-like you would. Chris wanted you to be happy, and he gladly gave of himself so you could live happily ever after."

"But I don't deserve it, I don't." I said miserably into his chest.

"But Chris thought you did. So forgive yourself, and live for him and for yourself. Allow yourself to be happy."

I nodded into his chest and noticed with surprise that the rain was letting up. I looked up to see a rosy sunrise, and a beginning of a new day.

A day I was planning to live to the fullest.

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	30. Epilogue: Wedding Bells

The sunlight streamed through the stained glass window, painting the floor of the chapel in beautiful colors of green, red, orange, pink and blue. I took a deep breath and smiled, smoothing down the pale pink dress I was wearing so it fit on my body properly. I gripped the bouquet of flowers in my hand a little tighter, and took the first step. A sea of faces turned to me, and I experienced mild stage fright. Ducking my head a little, I continued up the aisle. It was only when I locked my eyes with familiar golden ones did I find the courage to hold my head up high and continue walking.

As the sunlight hit my skin, a rainbow of colors erupted around me, dazzling the audience.

It was a good thing the congregation comprised of werewolves and vampires, or else this would be...awkward.

Alice stood next to me, soon followed by Rosalie and Caryn. They all looked absolutely beautiful in their matching pink gowns, the white roses complimenting the pinks in the dresses very well. I looked over at the line of men, and was glad to see Matt standing tall and proud, but looking diminutive next to Emmett and Jasper. After the past three years, Matt had finally seemed to come out of shell and live again, something I was learning to do everyday. Edward's eyes met with mine again, and a heat flush passed through my body. I rubbed the rings on my left ring finger and smiled, and was rewarded with a smile from him as well.

I finally allowed my gaze to rest on the groom, and I couldn't help but feel proud. Jacob looked quite sharp in his tux, and his two wing men-Embry and Quil-matched him when it came to bright smiles. The doors of the chapel opened again, and the sight took my breath away...figuratively, of course.

Even though I had seen Ness getting ready for her wedding, and I had just ridden with her in the same car to her wedding, something about her was just positively stunning as she walked up the aisle. Her brown eyes sparkled with her unsuppressed joy, and Jacob's eyes never left his wife-to-be. Ness' hair was up in a complicated updo that only Alice is capable of, with a pair of ringlets framing her face. Her wedding dress was a simple strapless white gown, which was fitted on top but flared out at her waist, allowing for a long train to trail behind her.

As I saw ness walking up the aisle, I remembered my own wedding three years ago.

Soon after the battle that had changed everybody's lives, Edward and I announced our expected engagement. Alice had seized the opportunity to regain some semblance of normalcy in the Cullen household, and day by day we saw improvements in Carlisle's behavior. Matt still seemed distant, and Ness had insisted on taking him back to Canada. Jacob had accompanied them and stayed with the Denali clan until my wedding. Then they all moved back to the rez, Ness and Jake getting a house of their own, with an extra room for Matt to stay in.

It had been a whirlwind three years, and many things had changed. The only thing that had not changed, and most likely never will, was the love I had for my family and for my husband.

"Do you, Jacob, take Vanessa as your lawfully wedded wife?" The rez's priest's voice cut through my musings.

"I do." Jacob looked as if ready to burst with happiness.

"And do you, Vanessa, take Jacob as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Ness' voice was steady, and she seemed eager to just leap into Jake's arms right then and there.

"Then I proclaim you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Jacob and Ness leaned toward each other and their lips touched tenderly in an eruption of cheers. The pair broke apart, beaming, and made their way down the aisle in a shower of rice and confetti.

I walked next to my husband and nuzzled next to him. He draped his arm around me and whispered in my ear, "I love you."

I grinned. "I love you too." I whispered back. "Now and forever."

_**Fin**_

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